


Non Semper Erit Aestus

by spirithorse



Series: Tales from Britannia [10]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2018-11-21 11:31:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 25,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11356623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: A collection of drabbles that ran from 9/1 to 9/30 for a month long celebration of Zero Requiem 2016. Made up from requests taken from tumblr.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These are going up a little later this year, but I got a bit distracted with other things. All of these existed on my tumblr under the [Month of Code Geass](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/tagged/month+of+code+geass) tag as well as the other years that I've done. They're just being archived here and edited again. The title means "It will not always be summer".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anonymous' prompt: suzalulu and temeraire au

Suzaku had to resist the urge to tug at his neckcloth, wishing for all the world that he could be back in his usual clothes instead of the awkward layers of the Britannian ones. The summer was too hot for half of the required clothes, let alone when he was standing in the steamy, heated rooms that had been made up to hold the eggs.

He swiped a hand across his forehead, glancing down at where the three eggs were nestled in their wrappings. He could see some moisture beading across the shells, but he didn’t bother reaching out. No harm would come to the eggs from the heat. He doubted that Captain Ashford and Fenette would purposefully misinform Prince Lelouch, especially when they had been pulled to be part of his wing. Even if they were wrong, Kaguya would set them straight.

Suzaku turned his head to look at the female dragon, watching as Kaguya inched forward to touch each of the eggs with her tongue. She narrowed her green eyes, lingering over each of them before stepping back with a nod. 

Kaguya rocked back onto her haunches, taking up most of the space in the small room. She carefully arranged her silks around her, Suzaku noticing the way that she placed them carefully to show off the sigil that had been embroidered among the carefully beaded designs. Suzaku fully expected her to puff out her chest in pride. The only thing that was stopping her was the presence of Shinkiro on the other side of the room, the hatchling Celestial taking up the rest of the scarce room.

Suzaku turned his head to see where Shinkiro was crouched up by the last egg, the little Celestial poking at its shell before shaking his head. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Hush.” Kaguya leaned close to Shinkiro with a low warning growl.

Shinkiro didn’t take the scolding well, the hatchling flaring out his wings with a hiss. Only the young man at the end of their small group flinched away, but the rest of them ignored him. After months of being the center of attention it was no wonder that Shinkiro was annoyed at being ignored.

Even Lelouch was more focused on the eggs, which might have been why that Shinkiro was quick to wave off the eggs as beneath his notice. Suzaku didn’t believe that the Celestial would be so easily convinced that his companion didn’t like him, but it didn’t help that Lelouch had been fussing over the eggs.

If Suzaku had had his old standing he could have told Shinkiro off, because this wasn’t about the dragon. It was about Lelouch assembling his wing as was his right as a prince. But Suzaku didn’t have that kind of power over the hatchling any longer, he had given up all the rights and honor that could come with being the chosen companion of one of the few Celestials left in Japan when he had killed his father. It was a wonder that Kaguya had decided to stay with him. Then again, the dragon had always been headstrong.

He sighed, giving the other two people standing beside him a quick look. The red headed girl looked determined, her gaze locked on the largest egg. Beside her, the young man looked like he was ready to fall apart. He kept glancing between Kaguya and Shinkiro, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of unharnessed dragons. It was almost laughable considering that Suzaku had seen him making visits to the Aries Villa covert, and all of the dragons went around unharnessed on the ground. Even Ganymede, Siegfried and Igerna walked without a harness despite their years of practically living in them. The boy would just have to adjust, because Kaguya wouldn’t allow any of Lelouch’s wing to live any differently. She was the one behind all of the Roman temple-like structures springing up around the villa. Kaguya wasn’t going to let any dragon be treated like they were just another wagon or horse, but she wasn’t about to spoil the architecture of the Aries Villa to do it.

Suzaku jerked his gaze away from the boy when Lelouch circled around to the back of the eggs, the prince giving them a lingering look. Suzaku felt a frisson of electricity run up his spine when Lelouch glanced his way, almost disappointed when Lelouch looked away.

The prince reached out to touch the smallest egg, giving it a gentle pat before looking at the boy. “Rolo, this one will be yours, probably sooner than the others.”

Suzaku was sure that the boy’s eyes were going to bulge out of his head. Rolo pointed at himself before shaking his head. 

Lelouch just seemed amused by his silent protestations, the prince nodding slowly. “I’d prefer if it would be you. You have no attachments to any of my siblings or any other major political families. The Haliburtons have been in the Corps for generations, which means you’ll know what to do and I’ve had nothing but glowing reports from your superior officers. The lightweight is yours.”

Rolo stammered out his thanks, bending over in a bow. He snapped upright just as quickly when Lelouch cleared his throat, practically running out of the room after he was dismissed. Suzaku wasn’t sure if it was because the boy was excited or too nervous to remain with them anymore.

He didn’t spend too long thinking on it, his gaze moving back to where Lelouch was coming around the second egg.

It was the largest of the lot with large red and purple splotches. One of them looked almost like an English eight, Lelouch’s hand resting on the top oval. 

The prince nodded over at the red head, giving her a wry smile. “I promised I would get you a dragon, but I can’t promise how this will turn out. I was told that this was an experimental crossbreed. This one’s yours Kallen, although I can’t promise when it will hatch either. It doesn’t feel as hard for the others.”

“We’ll catch up.” Kallen grinned back at him, giving him a lazy salute before turning on her heel and walking out of the room. She stripped out of her coat before she was out of the door, Suzaku glancing back over his shoulder at her.

He was surprised when Kaguya hummed and followed Kallen out. Suzaku couldn’t imagine what the two of them would talk about, but the two of them had seemed to be getting close.

Suzaku turned slightly, surprised when Kaguya gave him a significant look over her shoulder. He couldn’t imagine what the dragon could mean by it, but he stayed put anyway.

He turned to face the remaining egg, his stomach rolling anxiously.

He had always known what Lelouch had intended when he had summoned them all to look at the eggs. It wasn’t hard to count the number of people that Lelouch treated as upcoming captains and compare that to the eggs that the prince had gotten. Suzaku had just hoped that he was wrong.

Suzaku shook his head when Lelouch got to the last egg, noticing the way that Lelouch seemed to caress it more than the others. “No. I can’t.”

“And why not?”

Suzaku opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t manage it. Lelouch knew everything about his past, Kirihara hadn’t bothered to hide anything when he had made his bid for a Britannian alliance and he doubted that Kaguya had held anything back either.

He pressed his lips together, shaking his head as Lelouch came around to the front of the egg. “It’s too much.”

“I don’t think so. After all, you brought Shinkiro to me and, if I understand correctly, he was supposed to be yours. And I took him away.”

“It doesn’t work like that. It’s Shinkiro’s choice.”

“But he would have chosen you.” Lelouch took a step forward. “So let me make up for it.”

Suzaku shook his head, but there was no way for him to refuse. It was more generosity than he expected, especially for a disgraced exile. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Yes.” 

Suzaku swallowed as Lelouch stepped closer, unable to bring himself to back up to the proper distance. If Lelouch noticed, he didn’t seem to care. Suzaku was sure that Lelouch wanted him to stay where he was. That didn’t stop him from swaying back a little as Lelouch touched his shoulder.

“Please, Suzaku. I need you…for my wing. I want you there.”

He shook his head, but he was sure that Lelouch wouldn’t read it as refusal of the dragon egg.

He would be lying if he said that he didn’t want a dragon of his own. It would be an honor if he was chosen as the hatchling’s companion. It would be everything that he had lost when he killed his father. 

It was just hard to think about a future dragon when Lelouch was so close to him.

Suzaku swallowed, finding himself leaning forward as Lelouch drew him closer. 

“What do you say, Suzaku?”

He let out a shuddering breath, aware that he was stepping forward of his own volition. 

Lelouch closed the distance between them, Suzaku whispering “Yes” against the prince’s lips as he was drawn in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Current Dragons in the Wing:  
>  [Lady Kaguya Sumeragi (this breed of dragon and relative position)](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Lady_Arikawa)  
>  [Shinkiro - Male Celestial](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Celestial)  
>  [Ganymede - Male Longwing - Milly Ashford](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Longwing)  
>  [Siegfried - Male Berghexe - Jeremiah Gottwald](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Berghexe)  
>  [Igerna - Female Roi-de-Vitesse - Shirley Fenette](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Roi-de-Vitesse)
> 
>  _Eggs (the future dragons)_  
>  [Etatis - Female Grey Widowmaker - Rolo Haliburton](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Grey_Widowmaker)  
>  Guren - Female [Kazilk](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Kazilik)/[Regal Copper](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Regal_Copper) cross - Kallen Kozaki  
>  [Lancelot - Male Malachite Reaper - Suzaku Kururugi](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Malachite_Reaper)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be around this Friday so you're getting two chapters today to make up for it.
> 
> For anonymous' request: For the Code Geass month: "Ich will"

Ich will eure Phantasie  
Ich will eure Energie  
Ich will eure Hände sehen  
Ich will in Beifall untergehen   
-  _Ich Will,_ Rammstein

Lelouch enjoyed the Black Knight’s rallies more than he should. 

None of the people knew who he was, which was the whole point. It was too early to reveal that he was Britannian because tensions were still too high between the two groups. For now, it was safer to preach tolerance for anyone willing to side with them and then start introducing the idea. Lelouch was sure that some of had picked up on a slightly strange accent, but seven years had beat out most of the Britannian accent from his Japanese. Still, there were people with sharp ears.

The fact that he was Britannian didn’t matter, but the fact that he was a Britannian prince couldn’t be known. That would be asking too much from them, especially after Britannian royalty had taken their country and then lorded over them as a viceroy for the past seven years. 

As soon as they knew they would start questioning his motives, and Lelouch was sure that they wouldn’t like what they saw.

He wanted to get rid of Britannian rule in Japan, but he also wanted to shove some of the pain and horror he had experienced back at his family. It wasn’t quite the noble cause that he championed, and it could misfire on him.

But, when the Black Knights were chanting his name, Lelouch couldn’t bring himself to care.

He tipped his head back, the mask hiding the way that he closed his eyes. Even if he couldn’t be Prince Lelouch vi Britannia with the Black Knights, he felt like it every moment he was with them.

 _This_ was the adoration that his siblings felt.  _This_  was the loyalty that he would have gotten if he had remained in Pendragon.

 _This_ was the loyalty and adulation that his father would never understand. It was not a weak emotion, it was a strong one. 

And Lelouch would use it to have his revenge.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anonymous' prompt: Supervillian!Lelouch vs Superhero!Suzaku please! I love your writing so much~

Suzaku spun around at the flutter of a cape out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up at the rooftops before scanning the alleys.

It could have been a trick of his eyes. He had been on high alert since he had gotten the call that the Black Knights were causing problems in the center of Pendragon. He was bound to imagine things, except that he had been in the business too long to just believe that.

Suzaku narrowed his eyes before making his decision. The rest of the Rounds had things well under control, they had since they had reached the center fountain of Pendragon. The core of the Black Knights might have gotten away, but they always did. Suzaku was sure that they had an informer in the Rounds, but that was a problem for another day. The immediate problem was the Black Knights running away after their attempted kidnapping, and the fact that they hadn’t found the politician that the Black Knights had taken.

He pivoted on the ball of his foot, throwing a punch when another masked person rushed at him. It was automatic to pull his punch, but Suzaku still sucked in a quick breath as he waited for the sound of bones breaking. To his relief, the person just collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Suzaku bounced on his toes for a moment before stepping over to where Gino was gleefully plunging through the mass of masked minions. He sidled up to Gino’s right side, waiting until Gino looked over at him before he motioned over towards the nearest alley. “I got something. Don’t wait up.”

“I never do.” Gino gave a whoop and charged back into battle.

Suzaku lingered behind just long enough to make sure that neither Gino nor Anya were struggling before charging off after where he had seen the cape.

He knew that he was probably too late, because that seemed to be the way things went for him. The Rounds would charge out at the first sign of things going wrong but they wouldn’t be in time to save what really mattered. They hadn’t been able to really do their job since  _he_  had come onto the scene.

Suzaku slowed his run as he turned into the alley, glancing around before making his way down the alley. It felt claustrophobic with the all buildings on either side and it was the perfect place for an ambush. But none came.

He clenched and unclenched his fists as he stepped out into the sunlight on the other side. Suzaku was more than willing to admit that he had made a mistake, but it was better safe than sorry. As long as they managed to save people they were doing a good job.

Suzaku sighed and went to turn around when he saw a figure standing in the alley across the street. He tensed when he recognized the mask, glaring at the man that was standing across the way.

The man tipped his head to the side, Suzaku standing under the scrutiny. He was sure that the man intended to stare for longer, but something called the man’s attention away. He shook his head and stepped back into the alley, one hand moving out from underneath the enveloping cloak in a beckoning motion.

Suzaku glared at the entrance to the alley, tempted to just walk away. There was no good in tangling with the man, but there was no point in turning around. 

Whenever Zero appeared bad things followed.

He gritted his teeth and jogged across the street, entering the semi-darkness of the alley. Suzaku slowed down, scanning the sides and the dead end. He almost passed over the body slumped at the end, Suzaku cursing when he realized what he was staring at.

General Bartley Asprius laid sprawled on the ground, a look of surprise on his face. 

Suzaku stepped up to the corpse, crouching on the ground to look at the man. As per usual there were barely any marks on the man save for bleeding from the nose and ears. If not for that it would have looked like the general had suffered from a heart attack or a fatal stroke, but Suzaku knew better. There hadn’t been any marks on the others either.

He cursed under his breath and went to stand up when he felt a light touch on his mind and a knife at his throat.

Suzaku swallowed and went still, keeping his breathing level as he stared at the wall at the end of the alley.

_I expected more from Britannia’s White Knight._

He twitched a bit at the words that floated through his mind. “Zero.”

The man chuckled, the sound muffled from behind the mask, but the voice in Suzaku’s head was perfectly clear.  _I had wondered if you had noticed._

“How long?”

_I was watching the entire time._

“The Black Knights were a distraction.”

_Of course not. They were the delivery method, and I just might have to pay them extra for this. I took care of business and got to watch you fight. It was…illuminating as always._

Suzaku tensed, turning his head slightly so he could see more of the mask out of the corner of his eye. “You didn’t have to kill him. He was due for a trial.”

_He would have walked out scot free. He has plenty of friends in high places.His Royal Highness Prince Clovis for one. Do you think that Clovis would let one of his favorites hang?_

“That’s not up to me.”

 _No. You believe in the Emperor’s Justice. Poor misguided fool_. The words should have carried some kind of derision, but they sounded almost fond. 

The knife wavered by his neck, Suzaku moving when the tip dropped down. He grabbed Zero’s arm and twisted even as he turned around. He heard a gasp from the man as he came around. 

He fully intended to twist Zero’s arm behind his back to disarm the man, but he felt a tug on his mind.

And then Zero was free.

The man waved at him, his knife nowhere to be seen. Zero backed down the alley even as Suzaku moved forward.

_I don’t like doing that to you, but I can’t be taken in. I have work to be done._

“Killing people isn’t your job. You can’t be judge, jury and executioner.”

Zero paused in the mouth of the alley, the mask tipped back towards him. “Can’t I?”

Suzaku froze at the sound of the man’s voice. He was so used to Zero speaking to him mind to mind that the sound of the man’s voice was a surprise.

He hesitated a second too long because Zero used the chance to walk away. Suzaku shook his head and rushed after him. He wasn’t surprised when Zero was gone, but that didn’t stop him from craning his head to look up on the rooftops. There were plenty of times that he had found Zero watching him from above, which was strange because Zero didn’t seem to bother with any of the other Rounds.

Suzaku sighed and glanced back towards the corpse at the back of the alley. There was no salvaging the situation, he just had to report the death to Gino and Anya and then the three of them would figure out what they had to do next.

What he wanted to do was to go right after Zero. As soon as they took down the man the deaths would stop and some of the villains running around would lose traction. 

Most importantly, he would stop looking over his shoulder and waiting for the light touch to his mind that meant that Zero had come to pay another call.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [shiitsuu](http://shiitsuu.tumblr.com/) who requested: a drabble involving the unholy trio going to the movies.

Sometimes Lelouch wondered if he had done something horrible in a past life, because he certainly seemed to be tortured like he had. It was the only explanation for what happened to him.

As it was, he had never expected to be trapped between Suzaku and C.C. in the middle of the worst movie in the world. Then again, he generally considered romantic comedies the worst genre. They were full of nothing but overused tropes, contrived plots and horrible acting. There was nothing to be gained from watching nearly two hours of something that could have been solved in the first five minutes.

He sighed and glanced over at where C.C. was leaned back in her chair. She was popping popcorn in her mouth a piece at a time, appearing into be enraptured by what was happening on the screen. Lelouch glanced up, raising his eyebrow as the heroine broke down and cried for what he thought was the fifteenth time in the last ten minutes.

Lelouch looked back at her as C.C. made a soft hum, the sound not carrying beyond the three of them. For a moment, she looked almost sympathetic, but then her usual neutral expression was back. Even with that, Lelouch knew for a fact that C.C. was enjoying the movie. She regularly read books that were the exactly the same as the movie that they were watching. Both she and Nunnally devoured romances with a fervor that was mind boggling. He had picked up one out of curiosity and had put it down just as fast. There was only so much bodice ripping that he could handle before he started to question what he allowed his little sister to read.

He gave C.C. one last look before turning his head to look at where Suzaku sat on his other side. 

Suzaku wasn’t having the same success as C.C. at hiding what he was feeling. Lelouch could clearly see the shine of tears on Suzaku’s face, and he looked like he was one more tastefully broken sob away from joining the woman.

Lelouch sighed and put his hand on the armrest between them, partially amused when Suzaku immediately grabbed it. Suzaku briefly met his gaze with a watery smile before he went back to the movie. He found himself smiling as Suzaku squeezed his hand in thanks.

He should have known that Suzaku would cry during the movie, Suzaku was a sensitive soul. He cried for every heartbroken person and dead animal in every movie, but that was one of the reasons he liked Suzaku. The man’s compassion made up for his own cynicism.

Lelouch stroked the back of Suzaku’s hand with his thumb, watching just long enough to make sure that Suzaku would make it through the sobbing scene before turning his attention back to C.C.

She had turned her attention away from the movie, her eyebrow rising when she saw that he was holding Suzaku’s hand. Lelouch just shrugged and put his other arm on the armrest. “Need the support?”

C.C. huffed, her gaze going back to the movie. 

Lelouch had fully expected the refusal and he turned his attention back as well. Even with his diversion he could follow what was going on. The heroine was struggling to come to terms with the man that she loved, who was a horrible asshole, was leaving her for good. Lelouch was sure that they would get back together in the end, because there wasn’t another sympathetic character. It was a horrible lesson to end the movie on, because the woman would probably go crawling back to the man.

He leaned his head back, letting it fall onto the slightly padded rest on the back of his seat. He was about to move his arm off the armrest when he felt a hand settle into his.

Lelouch made a face at the greasy slide of butter and popcorn, but he stopped himself from yanking his hand away when he heard a quiet sniff from where C.C. sat beside him.

He glanced quickly over at her, just long enough to see that her eyes were wet before he turned away. 

He gave C.C. a few seconds to let her believe that he hadn’t noticed before squeezed her hand in return.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: For the Code Geass month prompts, could you maybe do a prompt that's been done recently, Suzaku getting paralyzed while protecting Euphie?

Euphemia turned the gun over in her hands, barely listening to what Lelouch was saying to her. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to throw the gun away or just pass it back to Lelouch. She settled for shaking her head and stepping forward, holding the gun out to Lelouch. “Did you think that I would just shoot you?”

Lelouch gave her a nervous grin, Euphemia preferring that to the others that he had given her. The more cracks she found in his facade, the more he looked like the Lelouch she knew from her childhood.

She sighed when Lelouch took the gun from her, staring down at it before tucking it back to where he had pulled it from. “No. But I can be convincing when I choose to. People find that they can’t resist me.”

“Oh come on now.” Euphemia stared at him, waiting for a sign that he was joking. 

Lelouch met her gaze evenly, Euphemia rolling her eyes at his confidence. A flashing light on the console caught her attention, Euphemia turning to face the it. She tipped her head in Lelouch’s direction to show that she was still listening, that little bit of encouragement enough to keep him talking.

“I could ask you to do anything.”

“That’s a little much.” She leaned over the blinking light, frowning when she realized that it was an alert. Euphemia regretted not insisting that Cornelia had taught her the ins and outs of the command center, but she had just been happy that her sister had been talking to her. She rested her hand on the console, listening as Lelouch continued to talk.

“No really. I could tell you to do something ridiculous like kill all the Japanese or put on your clothes inside out and you wouldn’t be able to resist me.”

There was a note of pride in his voice before Lelouch grunted in pain.

Euphemia turned away from the console, watching as her half-brother dropped to his knees, his hand pressed over his eye. She gasped and hurried over to his side. Euphemia rested a careful hand on Lelouch’s shoulder, kneeling beside him. “Lelouch?”

He didn’t answer her immediately, but she saw his shoulders twitch in response. She waited for him to answer, biting her lip when he didn’t.

He had done this before, while she was making his desperate bid to get him to understand what she was doing. 

At a loss of what to do, she patted his shoulder. “We need to get you some help. Is there anyone in your group that can help? Or should you just go back home? Surely there’s someone who can stand in for you.”

“I…I don’t-” Lelouch’s head jerked up at a loud knocking on the door to the command center. Euphemia caught a glance of something red in his left eye, but Lelouch was quick to cover it up again. His gaze jerked away from the door, her half-brother obviously looking for his mask.

She gave him a final pat on his shoulder before moving between him and the door. She wouldn’t be able to hide him completely, but she could at least hold off the people at the door until Lelouch was ready to face them as Zero.

Euphemia gave Lelouch one last glance before resting her hand on the door. “Yes?”

“Princess?”

Her heart pounded faster when she heard Suzaku’s voice on the other side of the door. Euphemia reached for the door controls before she stopped herself, glancing back at where Lelouch was fumbling with his mask. She waited for him to jam it into place before opening the door. 

She expected Suzaku to be worried and impatient, but her knight looked frantic. His bangs were plastered to his forehead with sweat and his eyes looked wild, just like he had after Narita.

Suzaku gave his head a hard shake before meeting her gaze. “Euphy there’s been a problem. I don’t know…I can’t…” He shook his head again, managing to focus on her again. “Two of the guards outside just collapsed.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. They were just by Zero’s Knightmare and they collapsed.”

Euphemia turned around to look at Lelouch, fully expecting the inquisitive tip of his head. “I’ve done nothing.”

“I trust you, but I should sort this out before it gets out of hand.” Euphemia stepped out of the room, pausing to nod back at Lelouch. “Zero, I’d like it if you came with us just to prove that nothing’s gone wrong. Then you can attend to your other business. Suzaku, stay close.”

She didn’t get the chance to see how Suzaku responded to her order, the pounding of boots drawing her attention to the hallway.

Her stomach twisted when she saw the group of six guards rushing towards them. She straightened her back, giving them the imperious look that she had been taught at a young age. “I thought I requested time alone to smooth things over with Zero.”

The guards slowed slightly, one of them shuffling forward. “That was before, but we’re afraid that he’s planning to betray you.”

“Zero’s been with me for all this time.”

“You shouldn’t trust him, your highness.” The guard motioned with his gun. “Please come away.”

“But-” She stopped herself as Lelouch stepped forward, his hand resting momentarily on his arm.

It was nothing more than a warning, but the guards took it as a threat. 

Euphemia watched in horror as the guards all drew their guns. She went to step forward to call them off when Suzaku shoved himself between the two of them and the guards.

The guard in charge narrowed her eyes. “Sir Kururugi is in league with Zero. Protect the princess.”

“No, wait!”

Euphemia tried to rush forward but she wasn’t fast enough.

The guards opened fire, Euphemia feeling something hot blaze along her arm and cheek, the pain making her yelp. She heard a scream from in front of her, Euphemia jerking her head up to look at where Suzaku buckled in front of her.

She scrambled forward to where he was sprawled on the ground, grabbing at his arm. She didn’t dare drag him along the floor, but the touch was enough to steady her.

Euphemia didn’t dare to look down at the blood that was pooling on the floor or over Suzaku’s back. She didn’t even pay much attention to the blood running down her cheek and arm, she was too busy glaring at the guards.

They had stopped firing, and they at least looked like they realized the mistake that they had made.

Euphemia opened her mouth to shout orders at them when an inarticulate sound of rage caught her attention. She looked over at where Lelouch was pressed against the wall.

Her half brother came out of the half curl that he had fallen into, practically ripping the helmet off his head as he stepped forward.

Euphemia reached forward with her free hand to stop her half-brother, but Lelouch didn’t give her the chance. He stepped in front of the two of them, his whole body tense.

“DIE!”

The guards shuddered, Euphemia watching as their eyes unfocused. There was a beat of silence and then they turned the guns on themselves.

She flinched at the sound of gunshots, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. Euphemia pointedly looked away as the bodies hit the floor, her full attention on Suzaku. She would ponder what had happened later, once she had taken care of the problems at hand.

Euphemia rubbed her hand over Suzaku’s arm. “Lelouch…”

The sound of his name brought him back, Lelouch pivoting on his heel and dropping down on the other side of Suzaku. He reached out to touch Suzaku’s shoulder.

He stared down at Suzaku for a long moment before looking up to meet her gaze. “Do you trust me?”

Euphemia looked back at the dead guards before nodding. 

Lelouch nodded in return, rocking back on his heels. “I need you to go out there and sort out the Specially Administrative Zone. Find someone to hide those cuts and calm those people down. I’ll send my personal guard to represent me. You’ll have our full support.”

“What will you do?”

“I’ll make sure that he gets taken to the hospital. Between the two of this we can manage this, but we can’t lose either side of this.”

Euphemia took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way that it shook on the way out. She didn’t want to leave Suzaku, but Lelouch was right. There was too much at stake to just leave one for the sake of the other, but it still didn’t feel right.

She reached out to grab his hand, holding onto him tightly. “I’ll find you as soon as it’s done.”

Lelouch squeezed her hand, his gaze never leaving hers. “I’m counting on it.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another part of the [centaur AU](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5231960/chapters/13200262). For the references of their horse halves: [Lelouch](https://horsesoftheworld.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/friesian-horse-in-galop-michael-mogensen.jpg), [Suzaku](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Ko%C5%84_mongolski_w_Parku_Narodowym_Gorchi-Tereld%C5%BC_10.JPG) and [C.C](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Mangalarga_Marchador.jpg).

Lelouch sighed as he adjusted his forelegs, trying to keep them far enough away from the fire that his feathers wouldn’t catch. Considering how matted with mud, leaves and sticks they were, he wouldn’t be surprised if they went up in flames. Lelouch wasn’t sure if he would mind, it would just be one less thing to worry about when he finally got to Pendragon.

He tucked his forelegs closer to him so he wouldn’t have to look at them. He wasn’t a stranger to mud and dirt, but just looking at it made him want to scrub it off, but they didn’t have the time for it. Suzaku’s pace wouldn’t allow them to slow down when they hit water, save to fill up the multiple bottles that they each carried and to drink their fill. The only bath Lelouch was going to get was from wading through the streams, although that would stop soon enough.

They had been walking steadily out of the mountains for the past few days, following the earth as it dipped lower towards where the plains ran into desert. Once that happened, Lelouch was sure that Suzaku would restrict their drinking water because they couldn’t be running off into the towns to get supplies at every chance that they got. After months on the road he and Suzaku might not look at themselves, but there was no reason to push their luck.

He sighed and rubbed at the small of his back, groaning as he worked out a knot that he felt there. Lelouch felt bad for making the sound because Suzaku jerked his head up, his friend almost pushing upright before Suzaku realized what was going on. Suzaku sighed and dropped back to the ground, a puff of dust rising from him. 

For a moment, Lelouch was jealous of Suzaku’s chestnut coat. Any mud or dirt could at least be hidden a bit, although the discomfort was the same. He shot a look at C.C, no longer surprised that she looked pristine. Lelouch assumed that it was just part of the code, she would always look like she had stepped out of a fresh bath.

She must have felt his gaze on her because C.C. turned to look at him, her usual smug look on her face. “You’re dealing with this better than I thought.”

Lelouch shrugged. “It’s not like I haven’t done this before.” He looked over at Suzaku. “We’re a little bit more prepared this time.”

Suzaku held his gaze for a moment before looking away. Lelouch sighed, ready to let the conversation drop. Then Suzaku shifted, stretching out one foreleg to rest his elbow on. “It was a little easier to scavenge back then. There was always food to be found. If not, you and Nunnally could do your lost Britannian children routine. I don’t think that would work now.”

Lelouch laughed. He had a vague recollection of what they had done to get food back then. There had been plenty of sneaking into houses and grabbing food or taking from practically destroyed stores. There had been times that he had used the fact that he was Britannian to keep them from starving, but they had never stayed in one place long enough for anyone to catch the trick. But what he remembered the most were the long hours of walking back and forth across Japan as they had dodged battles and tried to find a safe place to stay.

He and Suzaku had taken turns passing Nunnally off between them, one balancing her carefully over their backs while the other had scouted ahead. That had reduced how fast they had traveled, but that hadn’t really mattered, just as long as they kept away from the soldiers.

It was amazing how things had come back around.

Lelouch shivered, puffs of dust rising from his own coat as it trembled. “No. I’m more likely to be questioned and you’re more likely to be arrested. Maybe C.C…”

She raised an eyebrow, Lelouch taking that as her refusal. He leaned back onto his side, looking back at Suzaku. “We haven’t starved yet.”

“It’s going to get harder.”

“Isn’t it always?” Lelouch turned his attention to the open range in front of them. “But we’ll get there and then we can pamper ourselves. We’ll have to look the part.”

He purposefully didn’t look at Suzaku. He knew exactly why his friend was doing this, and that what made the difference between the two forced marches in his life. The first Suzaku had been working with them because he had cared about what had happened to Lelouch and Nunnally. This time he was just going along because Lelouch had managed to promise everything that Suzaku wanted. 

Lelouch rubbed at his foreleg before going back into staring into the fire. It was easier than trying to keep up the conversation with Suzaku. There were too many pitfalls that loomed between them and Lelouch didn’t trust himself to stumble into them. The silence was always easier, and it was something that he regretted.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: Code Geass Month Prompt: I revoke my order.

_“Kill the Japanese.”_

The words echoed in her mind, making it impossible to think of anything else. It was imperative that she follow that order, but everything in her rebelled at it.

Euphemia sunk to the floor, distantly aware that Lelouch was dropping to the floor in front of her. She could feel his hands on her shoulders, and she could hear that he was shouting at her.

It felt like she was talking, responding to what he was saying, but she wasn’t paying attention to it.

She had to kill the Japanese, it was important to everything that she was doing. For the success of the Specially Administrative Zone, for Lelouch and Nunnally’s sake, she had to kill them.

But that didn’t make sense, because she was doing this  _for_  the Japanese. They were treated horribly and didn’t deserve what they were put through. If she could just do one thing for them, then maybe she could calm the storm of worry that went on in her head. She was living off the results of the brutal use of the people, and that was something that she couldn’t stand.

And she wanted to be with Suzaku…

But she had to kill them. It all made perfect sense.

Lelouch reached for her again, but Euphemia didn’t need the reminder. She had everything that she needed to do her duty.

To save the Japanese, she had to kill them all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the anonymous prompt: Britney Spears - Everytime

I may have made it rain  
Please forgive me  
My weakness caused you pain  
And this song’s my sorry

At night I pray  
That soon your face will fade away  
- _Everytime_ , Britney Spears

 

Lelouch shuffled into the graveyard late at night, worrying the flowers between his hands. He hadn’t known which kind to bring, and that unpreparedness was unnerving. 

He’d made a point of knowing everything as soon as he’d realized that his father had no room for him and Nunnally. Knowledge had been the one thing he knew how to manipulate enough to keep the two of them safe and he’d never gotten out of the habit. It was so much easier to know everything, because then he felt safe, then he felt prepared, even if the worst happened.

He slowed down when he reached the right section of the cemetery. He recognized it from the last time he had been there, except that there was a second grave this time. Two graves where there should have been one.

Lelouch stared down at the two of them before kneeling by the second. He hadn’t been there when they’d buried her, he had been off in China striking down the people who had dared touch something that was his. 

And he regretted it.

He should have been at her funeral, but he wasn’t able to be two places at once. His late night visit felt like a failure because of it, because he hadn’t managed to take down her killer. He regretted that too.

Lelouch looked down at the flowers in his hand before gently tucking them in with the others on her grave. There was a veritable carpet of them, Lelouch not able to see the dirt for it. And they were all in white; roses, lilies and daisies. He could see them all clearly in the lights, all of them looking like they were glowing. 

It was beautiful, ethereal, untouchable and not at all like Shirley had been.

She had been vibrant, friendly and so  _alive_.

Lelouch jerked his hand away, curling his fingers into a fist. He might not have known Shirley’s favorite flower but he had at least managed to do better than the rest of them. His were the one bright flash of color in the midst of all the white. The tiger lilies stood out among them, bright, lively and everything that Shirley had been.

It was everything Shirley should have been allowed to continue to be, except that he hadn’t been able to protect her.

Lelouch opened his mouth to apologize, needing the words out in the air, but he could bet them out around the lump in his throat. He snapped his mouth shut and shook his head. Instead, he reached out to fix one of the petals of the tiger lilies, setting it right against the back drop of white. 

He stared at the gave for a moment more before standing up and walking away. He couldn’t stand the blank accusation of the headstone, not when there were things to do. If he acted, then maybe he would be able to fill the space inside him that alternated between sorrow and anger. Or maybe he was just lying to himself. 

That was just another thing Lelouch didn’t know. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anonymous' prompt: Code Geass Month Prompt: reverse-fridging

 “Suzaku, please.”

“No.”

“Suzaku, there’s no one else. I can’t go there, they won’t trust me.”

“Euphy, I  _can’t_.”

“I know I’m asking a lot of you.”

“You’re asking too much.”

“Then what else do you expect me to do?! This can’t happen. Things are going to go downhill no matter what happens.”

“We’d be tricking them. I don’t even know if Le- _he_  agreed to this.”

“Do you trust me?”

“I…I want to Euphy. But you’re asking me to lie to a million people.”

“I’m asking for you to lie  _for the sake of_  those million people. Please, just until this is over and then we’ll sort it all out. But I’m not him, I don’t know what to do other than this.”

There was a beat of silence before Suzaku nodded slowly. 

“Just promise me this is the only time.”

“I…I promise.”

Suzaku gave her a steady look before stepping forward to strip the costume from the corpse on the ground. He paused long enough to pull a blanket out from under the main console, draping it over the corpse. 

He moved stepped away, heading for a back room. Euphemia cleared her throat, taking a step forward as Suzaku looked back at her.

Her knight hesitated for a moment before striding back over to her. He snatched Zero’s mask from her hands before he rushed off, leaving Euphemia alone in the room with her brother’s body.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anonymous' prompt: "Ooooh what about an au where julius and lelouch are twins and their secret crush for a certain knight of seven spawns a competition of sorts. That competition becomes a certain witch's entertainment."

C.C. wasn’t surprised to find Lelouch leaning on the balcony and staring out into the gardens, not when the Rounds were using the garden for practice.

She sidled up beside him, looking down at the twelve knights sparing below. Only three of them were actually Rounds, the rest were knights that were part of other prince and princess’ retinues, all of them who wanted to challenge the best of Britannia’s knights for glory or just for practice. It was fun to watch them try to outdo the Rounds, like they all believed that they would be put into the position after they defeated the Round after one morning practice.

C.C. shook her head and turned her attention to Lelouch. He was completely engrossed in the practice, his eyes not leaving the figure in traditional Japanese clothes. It was exactly what she expected, and it made her smile.

She stretched her arms out in front of her, leaning into the motion and feeling her back pop. She sighed and relaxed, looking back over at where Lelouch was leaning heavily on the railing. “Like what you see?”

Lelouch jerked at the question, turning his head to look at her in surprise. He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and pushing away from the railing. “Their footwork is getting better. One of the Dalton boys might beat Gino one day.”

C.C. snorted as David Dalton went sprawling. Gino laughed and lunged forward to take the next one. The rest of them started to fall back, some of their bravado leaving when they realized that the blond wouldn’t be so easy to take down.

She tipped her head to the side to look at Lelouch, smirking when she saw that he wasn’t even bothering to watch Gino’s fight. “You’re hilariously transparent.”

Lelouch looked scandalized, swaying in place. C.C. expected him to turn around and storm back into the palace, but he remained where he was. Apparently, the chance to watch Suzaku without any interference was too good to let up. She watched as he fidgeted in place, expecting Lelouch to shrug it off and try to drive her away.

Instead, he huffed and rocked forward so his weight was on his hands. “At least I’m up here doing this instead of making a fool of myself down there.”

“How is Julius?”

“Still limping.” Lelouch smirked. “He’s sworn off sword practice…and riding.”

“Victory is yours.”

“For now. He’s got time to plan while Nunnally and Mother fawn over him.”

C.C. tipped her head from side to side. Nunnally might be sympathetic to Julius’ aches and pains, but she doubted that either woman would fawn over him. Nunnally and Marianne had figured out what Lelouch and Julius were attempted to do after the first day. For two intelligent men, Lelouch and Julius could be quite dumb.

“So that’s what you’re up here doing? Plotting?”

Lelouch shrugged. “Good generals survey their battlefield.”

“Well, you can survey all you want but it’ll mean nothing unless you act. Standing up here won’t get you anywhere.”

Lelouch frowned, looking like he was going to argue. But then he straightened up, C.C. hiding a smile as he came to the conclusion that she had hoped. Julius had overstepped what he could do and was out for the count, which meant that Lelouch had an opening that he could take. And, if he was as smart as he said he was, then Lelouch would use that to his full advantage.

She smoothed her face out into a neutral expression as Lelouch turned to look at her. He gave her a curt nod before turning on his heel and walking away.

C.C. watched as Lelouch walked out of the room, shaking her head. Lelouch would make the attempt, but it was very likely that he would stumble. Lelouch had spent too much time with his head buried in his books or matching his wits against his twin and not out with people.

That was probably what made their attempts so amusing, because they didn’t even need to compete with each other, they fouled up their own attempts. 

She settled herself on the balcony, looking back down at where the Rounds were still practicing. There were plenty of other things that needed her attention and Marianne was sure to come looking for her. But C.C. was sure that she had plenty of time to watch Lelouch make his first attempt.

Besides, as amusing as it was to watch Lelouch and Julius vie for the attention of Suzaku, who remained oblivious to their intentions, she couldn’t help but root for the two boys.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this prompt from hellosuzalulu:  
> Regret. Cold hard regret. Suzaku stumbled back, as the needle of refrain dropped onto his ground with a clatter. Hell… How could he hate Lelouch now? It would have been easier. His back hit a wall as he continue to stare at his crying friend explaining Euphemia’s death.
> 
> Geass. This was geass’ fault…! His hand was on the dagger before his mind’s gears turned. His hips were straddling Lelouch before he could stop himself. The dagger plunged into his former friend’s eye before he could think-
> 
> (Prompt which Suzaku discovers the truth behind Lelouch’s murder of Euphemia and well, gorges out his eye in anger. He continues to regret this horribly, and Lelouch has to function without geass and one eye)

Suzaku stood in front of the emperor, sure that the man could see the bloodstains on his uniform. It didn’t matter that the incident had happened weeks back or that the uniform had long since burned, Suzaku was sure that there was some mark still there that Charles could see. He was sure that everyone could tell how much blood he had spilled in his short life.

The emperor cleared his throat, Suzaku quickly straightening his shoulders. He tried to look every inch the Knight of the Round, even as he tried not to look at where Lelouch was sprawled in a chair beside the throne. He didn’t want to see the look on Lelouch’s face or whatever Charles had done to fix the damage that Suzaku had wrought. He almost wished that some part of him would regret what he had done, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret that.

He swallowed as the emperor kept staring at him, feeling like he was being weighed and measured. He couldn’t tell what conclusion the emperor came to, but Charles gave a slow nod of his head before settling back on the throne. 

“I have a new mission for you, Sir Kururugi. I assume you have been following the news about the situation in the EU.” Charles paused long enough for Suzaku to nod before continuing on. “I believe that we will need to shore up the Russian front considering the failures and panic there.”

“I thank you for this honor.”

The rote answer slipped easily off his tongue, although he felt uneasy when Charles just nodded, a slight smile on the man’s face.

“I intend to replace the general there since the head of the Knights of Saint Michael died suddenly. You will be escorting him there and making sure the same thing does not happen.

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask who Charles intended to send when the emperor tipped his head towards where Lelouch was slumped on the chair.

Suzaku froze, his stomach churning. If Charles noticed the look of shock on his face the emperor didn’t show it. The man just nodded slowly. “I have made sure that he remembers nothing of what happened in Area 11 and…after.”

He flinched at the mention of his break down, his fingers twitching by his side. He risked a glance back up at Charles, a shiver running down his spine when he saw that Charles looked more amused than angry. 

The emperor had looked like that when he had been called into the throne room right after he had gouged Lelouch’s eye out.

Charles left him shift awkwardly for a moment before he nodded. “I followed my son’s exploits in Area 11 and was impressed. I think it’s exactly what we need on that front. And, should he fail, then you have my permission to leave him there.”

Suzaku was surprised by the permission, but he didn’t dare push any further. There was a implication in there that he didn’t like, one that Lelouch would have picked up on. He couldn’t quite figure it out, but he knew that Charles was implying something about him.

At a loss of what to do, he bowed. He heard Charles laugh, standing upright abruptly.

He caught the end of a lazy hand wave, watching as Lelouch stood up. 

Charles looked over at his son before gesturing to Suzaku. “Julius Kingsly, the Knight of Seven, Sir Kururugi.”

Lelouch gave him a vague nod, his gaze moving back towards the door. Suzaku didn’t bother to return the nod, his gaze back on Charles.

The emperor gave the two of them a quick look before leaning back in his throne. “There is a train waiting to take you and your belongings have already been packed.”

Suzaku took the curt dismissal without comment. He turned on his heel and started walking away, horribly aware of the stumbling tread of Lelouch’s feet behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Indiana Jones AU requested by [touchreceptors](http://touchreceptors.tumblr.com/). Part of [this verse](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1098495/chapters/2926447).

Every once and a while the old wound would pain him. Lelouch frowned and rubbed at his side.

Logically he knew that it wasn’t actually hurting, it was an old memory of a sensation. There wasn’t even a scar for him to remember his horrible adventure into Area 18, nor was there an artifact. The cup had fallen into a chasm in the earth, and Lelouch thought that Kanon had looked far too smug about that. But he had nothing to complain about, not when the escape from that place was lost in a haze. Everything he knew about it came from what Suzaku and Nunnally had told him. Lelouch had filed it all away and went back to doing what made him feel the most alive, which was finding lost artifacts.

He pressed his fingers against his side, feeling along the scar that wasn’t there as he looked around the old tower. He tipped his head back, looking up towards the roof.

Lelouch shook his head, letting the beam of the flashlight drop. He turned slowly in place, staring at the old tower. He shook his head again, stopping his turn when he was facing the entryway. The late afternoon light drifted in, lighting up a small section of the floor. Lelouch raised an eyebrow as someone stepped into the doorway, Lelouch reaching back to tip his hat back further onto his head.

“You get anything?”

“Nothing to help us.” Lelouch stepped aside to let Suzaku into the tower, watching as his friend craned his neck back. He backed up against the wall of the tower, letting Suzaku walk around. He sighed and lifted the flashlight, lighting Suzaku’s way around the square tower. “This is too young for what we’re looking for. There was a wooden church here once, but that’s long gone. This is all that’s left and it’s…”

“Not King Arthur?”

“No.”

Suzaku laughed and turned around, mimicking Lelouch’s stance against the wall. “You say that like you don’t believe what we’re chasing after.”

Lelouch shrugged. He couldn’t quite deny that, not after everything that they had found. Not when they both had the possibility of forever hanging over their heads. Kanon had never exactly been clear what the effects of the Grail would be, nor if it would affect him and Suzaku differently. He had just gotten water from the Grail dashed across his side, Suzaku had been the one to drink from it. So had Clovis now that Lelouch thought about it, and that was an amusing thought. Clovis would get bored living forever.

He chuckled, waving his hand when Suzaku looked back at him. He didn’t want to explain his thought process, because Suzaku always looked guilty, like it was his fault that Vincent had decided to turn on his nephews.

Lelouch dropped his arm back to his side, tapping the flashlight against his leg. He didn’t know why the two of them were lingering in the old tower, there was no hope that they would find something inside it. What they were looking for was older.

He sighed and pushed away from the wall, taking a step towards the front of the tower. “Come on, we’ll have to chase down another lead.”

Suzaku lingered at the back of the tower, staring up at the top. Lelouch was almost tempted to join him because there was always a chance that Suzaku had spotted something that he had missed. For all of Lelouch’s training, sometimes Suzaku managed to find the small things that he overlooked.

Suzaku came away slowly, reaching out to touch the side of the tower. “It’s a shame, it’s a nice old place. History sits comfortably here.”

Lelouch snorted at the phrase but didn’t argue with Suzaku. It was a phrase that Suzaku had picked up from C.C. on the rare occasion she decided to grace them with her presence. Lelouch didn’t quite know what C.C. meant by that, but Suzaku seemed to pick it up instinctively, and Lelouch could never prove the two of them wrong.

He rolled his eyes and stepped out into the sunlight, taking a deep breath. “Come on. We’re losing daylight.”

“The sword’s waited this long. It can wait for a while longer.”

Lelouch turned to look at Suzaku, quickly biting back his own arguments. Considering the amount of mythical artifacts that they had gone after and the number of them in pristine condition there was no reason to try and outrun the slow march of time, anything they were looking for would be fine. The only thing that they had to run to beat were the other people looking for the artifact. Lelouch hadn’t seen anyone trying to get the sword, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t out there. For all he knew, they were being stalked right now.

He pulled his hat further over his face, watching Suzaku out of the corner of his eye. “Do you want to sit around much longer?”

Suzaku grinned and stepped forward, brushing a kiss across Lelouch’s cheek as he moved past. “Let’s go find a sword.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neqtar requested: "Still taking prompts? If you have time and are willing, I would love to read something AU-ish Suzaku being Lelouch's knight! (・∀・ );" Part of the AU where Suzaku and Lelouch meet as teenagers ([Part 1](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/98730212940/coldnobility-requested-princelelouch-and) \- [Part 2](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/129787418346/joyeux-suzalulu-week-day-3-the-sword))

Suzaku tugged on his jacket, turning so he could look at himself in the mirror. It was a far cry from the uniform he had worn in the army or when he had been imprisoned. For one, there was more embroidery than he thought was actually needed. He certainly wouldn’t be able to hide anywhere, but maybe that was the point.

There would be plenty of guards and they would be the ones tucked away in all the corners and the shadows. He was just the first line of defense, the one drawing all the attention while standing next to the prince. Maybe that was why knights got all the honor and glory, it was a pay back for all the danger that they would run into. The guards could only react so quickly and, in that time, he would have to hold the line on his own.

He dropped his hand down to the sword that he had been given, running his hand over the decorated pommel. He had a gun tucked up under his jacket, within easy reach, but it felt more natural to have a sword. It was the one weapon that he had spent his whole life practicing with. The sword Lelouch had given him was nothing like a katana, but it had the same amount of history as his family katana would have had. 

Suzaku was tempted to pull the sword out and look it over, just to look at the shine again. It was the only thing that seemed real.

He swallowed and stepped away from the mirror. If he stared for much longer the two of them would be late, and Suzaku could just imagine the fall out. No one had been happy when the prince had chosen an Eleven as his knight, even if they had been an Honorary Britannian. There was a whole binder of more appropriate candidates, he had seen them all.

Suzaku sighed and let his hand slip from the pommel of the sword. It was almost a relief to square his shoulders and march forward. That was like being a soldier and it was something he was used to. He’d only been a knight for a few days, and all of that had been in the bounds of the administrative building. Certainly when he stepped out in public he had to be part of the show.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Lelouch’s room, surprised when the prince answered immediately. He was even more surprised by the way that Lelouch froze and just stared at him. 

Suzaku looked down at his uniform, sure that he had managed to get something wrong. It all looked right from the one other time he had put it on, but he could have easily missed something. It was full of clasps and buttons.

He tugged on his jacket self consciously. “Is it…right?”

“Hm?” Lelouch shook his head, snapping out of his silence. “Oh, yes. It’s all right. You ready?”

Suzaku shrugged, not sure that Lelouch saw the motion with the way that the prince turned around and walked away. He followed Lelouch into his room, trying not to let his gaze linger on the prince’s bed. “I should be, if everyone else is.”

“Good.” Lelouch fiddled with the froth of lace at his throat before sighing and turning on his heel. He gave Suzkau one more up and down look before giving him a curt not. “Lake Kawaguchi Hotel isn’t too far away and security just recently ran a check on them. It should be easy enough, a short little conference to get your feet under you. Just stay by my side and look impressive.”

“I can do that.”

Lelouch gave him a lingering look again, one that went from his head to his toes. The prince shook his head a moment later, working on his cuff. “I expected just as much.”

He walked over to the door and opened it, Suzaku surprised when Lelouch gave him a partial bow. “After you, Sir Kururugi.”

Suzaku wanted to protest, but there was no way that he could back out of it now. He had allowed himself to be pulled too far in. The only thing he could do was see it through.

He grabbed onto the sword again, using it to center himself as he walked forward. 

It was just like Lelouch had said. It was just a conference at a hotel. How hard could it be?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "Unholy Trinity + that month long road trip to Pendragon after Lelouch dissolved his parents and before he claimed the throne."

C.C. leaned against Suzaku as the two of the waited but the side of the road. She expected Suzaku to lean away from her, but the knight was probably tired enough from spending so much time walking and hitchhiking from California. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining the fact that Suzaku was leaning back into her, but she didn’t want to spend too much time thinking on it. Over thinking Suzaku would just lead her into trouble.

She turned her attention back to where Lelouch was negotiating with a truck driver. The two of them looked like they were just shooting the breeze. 

Suzaku shifted in place, the small supply of patience he had left probably disappearing fast. He hadn’t been the most patient of partners, but she was used to dealing with Lelouch.

C.C. patted his shoulder, smiling as he settled down again. “Steady on there.”

She got a huff as an answer, but it was tingled with a bit of a smile. She squeezed his shoulder before stepping away. Suzaku could be trusted to linger behind and look imposing, but anything that involved talking could get them in trouble. It was bad enough that he stood out among the Britannians, but his accent would give them away. Suzaku might have helped them skirt through Japan and bits of China, but he wouldn’t be the one making the arrangements for a while longer, and he had to get used to that.

C.C. sauntered up to Lelouch, stopping short of touching him. She had spent the past day pretending to be Lelouch’s girlfriend, much to Suzaku’s amusement and Lelouch’s embarrassment. C.C. was sure that she hadn’t imagined how Suzaku had held her a little bit tighter when they had stopped for the night.

She chuckled to herself, ignoring the look that Lelouch gave her. She just gave the truck driver an even look, watching as the man scratched at the back of his neck before shrugging. 

“Hell with it, I’m going that way anyway.”

“Thank you.” Lelouch grabbed her arm before she could say anything, dragging her a few steps away. He motioned for Suzaku with his free hand, the knight coming over. “We’ve got a ride into Arizona.”

“So easily?”

Lelouch bristled but he kept his temper in check, C.C. almost tempted to give him a pat of approval. The long sections of road where they had been at each other’s throats had quickly worn on her patience.

She brushed her fingers over Lelouch’s arm before stepping between them. She rested her other hand on Suzaku’s arm. “Are we going to be able to get along, boys?”

“Depends.” She squeezed Suzaku’s arm, giving him a glare. He relented a moment later, dropping his gaze. “How long’s the drive?”

“A few hours.” There was a certain wistfulness in Lelouch’s voice, but that wasn’t for her. That was for the two of them to work out. Somehow the two of them managed fine with her, but the two of them were still ready to get at each other’s throats.

But that was her boys.

She patted their arms before stepping away. “Come on. I’m tired of walking.”

C.C. expected the two of them to glare at each other for a little bit longer, but they seemed to have come to some sort of agreement.

The two of them flanked her, C.C. smiling at the two of them before hooking her arm through theirs.

They would probably get back into it as soon as they stopped for the night but, then again, she expected nothing less from her boys. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "Have you ever done a Code Geass - Temeraire story? It might be interesting."

Shinkiro paced the far end of the enclosure that he had been put in, his lips curled back in a threat display. It had worked before, all the other people who had been shoved into the small space had retreated quickly. But the current one was sitting calmly against the wall, ignoring him completely. It was almost a relief not to have them speaking to him and trying to convince him to come over to their side, but it made him all the more suspicious.

He was aware of his worth, he was one of the last Celestials that Japan had left. That was why he had been entrusted to the Kururugi family. They had been loyal to the shogun and had been chosen especially to look after him. Shinkiro had known that Suzaku hadn’t been the educated man that everyone had wanted him to be with, but Suzaku had been young, certainly he could learn more along the way.

He slowed his pacing, staring at the human. He could pick out a few words on the title, but not enough to know what the human was reading. It was probably another book on how to force him to choose his companion instead of letting him into what was going on. 

No one had told him what had happened to Suzaku or to Kaguya. Even Kirihara had just dumped him in the enclosed space and walked away.

Shinkiro roared and turned on the room, setting his claws against the wood. He raked them down, pleased when splinters came free. Shinkiro left them to fall into the pile he had growing as he went to nose along the base of the wall. 

If he could dig his way out he could figure out where he was. It couldn’t be too far to where Kaguya and Suzaku were, he would find them, even if he had to fly back to Japan to do so.

He dug experimentally at the base of one wall before turning away with a snort of annoyance. It would take too much time, and he couldn’t focus on it for long. He needed to move  _now_  before the Britannians decided to do something else to him.

Shinkiro knocked against the wall, throwing himself against it again when it rattled pleasingly. He wasn’t as large as Kaguya was, but maybe he had gained enough weight to burst his way out.

He backed up a bit, ready to charge at the wall when the human cleared his throat. Shinkiro whipped his head around with a hiss. The human didn’t look too frightened. The human just closed his book and rested it on his lap.

“I wouldn’t do that, Gawain. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Shinkiro snarled at the sound of the name. It was what every Britannian had called him since he had been brought into the room. Even Kirihara had bid him goodbye with that name.

He turned around, flaring his wings out to try and look bigger. “No!”

The man looked taken aback. He stared at him for a moment before leaning forward. “You won’t hurt yourself?”

“No. Gawain. Shinkiro!” He puffed his chest out, trying to push back the embarrassment that he felt with the way that he was stumbling through the language. It was hard when no one bothered to talk to him. Still, at least one of the humans was talking to him.

“Shinkiro.” He repeated himself when the human still looked confused.

The human stared at him for a moment more before pointing at him. “Shinkiro.”

His name came out awkwardly, but it was better than the name that he had been given. He nodded, giving he human a triumphant look.

“Alright, Shinkiro. I’m Lelouch,”

Shinkiro glared at the man. He didn’t care, not at the moment. He huffed and turned away. He heard the man shifting in place before the distinct sound of the human getting up.

Despite his better intentions, Shinkiro turned around to watch as the man walked towards the door. He crouched, ready to jump when the man paused by the door. 

The human stared at him for an awkward amount of time before shrugging. “If you’re going to get talkative, I might have to bring Suzaku and Kaguya with me.”

Shinkiro perked up at the names, taking a slow step forward. He didn’t react in time to rush the door when the man slipped through it. Shinkiro hissed at his own stupidity before turning away. 

He started pacing again, his gaze lingering on the door. There was no telling if he could trust the Britannian, but the man was the only one who was attempting to talk with him and the only one who had bothered with learning his name. 

Shinkiro wouldn’t get his hopes up, but at least it was better than the cajoling that he had sat through. 

He sighed and flopped down onto the ground, watching the door carefully as he waited for someone else to come in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Lady Kaguya Sumeragi (this breed of dragon and relative position)](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Lady_Arikawa)   
>  [Shinkiro - Male Celestial](http://naominovik.com/wiki/Celestial)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "Doctor Who AU where C.C. is a Timelord, Lelouch is her companion and then they pick up Suzaku."

C.C. leaned back against the console of the TARDIS, looking between the two humans.

Suzaku looked exhausted, but that was expected. The three of them had just run from the town below and, before then, the man had been put through the wringer. She wasn’t sure how much smoke that Suzaku had inhaled while he had been tied to the stake. That was something that she would ask him about later, if he looked the same.

She shifted so she could look at Lelouch, narrowing her eyes at the smug look on Lelouch’s face. She drummed her fingers against her arm, letting Lelouch rest on his laurels for a moment more before decided to step in. If she didn’t, then she would never hear the end of it, and she wasn’t about to have a smug human walking around in her ship.

C.C. pushed away from the console, taking a step forward so she could glare at Lelouch. “What was the one rule I told you when I agreed to take you on board?”

“No wandering off.”

Lelouch flashed her an unrepentant smile, one that made C.C. want to tell the TARDIS to rearrange the rooms. Maybe she would, just to teach him a lesson.  _If_  Lelouch would learn, which he probably wouldn’t. Apparently, his one quest was to right the wrongs of the galaxy. It would have been honorable, if it hadn’t been an impossible task or if it wouldn’t have brought down the rest of the Timelords down upon her.

All she wanted to do was wander at will and perhaps sample some of the stranger things that space and time had to offer. If she was going to live for extended lifetimes, then she couldn’t just sit around on a distant planet doing nothing.

She started walking around the console, trailing her finger over the edge of it. C.C. kept Lelouch waiting until she had made a full circle. She came to a stop closer to Suzaku than Lelouch, letting him realize what her positioning said about whose side she was going to take.

C.C. crossed her arms over her chest, leveling a steady look at him. “The one thing I told you was to keep from drawing attention to us.”

“I’ve abided by that so far.”

C.C. tipped her head towards Suzaku, watching as Lelouch went from cocky to indignant.

Lelouch took a step forward, gesturing at Suzaku before resting his arm on the man’s shoulder. “They were going to kill him and you just wanted me to let them? He was innocent.”

“So says you, and you were on that planet for less than a day.”

“I didn’t need to be, It was  _wrong_.”

C.C. shook her head, tempted to just throw Lelouch out on the next planet that they got to. She’d send Suzaku with him for company. She had nothing against Suzaku, but the man’s safety was not important when compared to her own. Timelords had a long memory.

Lelouch glared at her when she didn’t agree with him immediately. He got a better hold on Suzaku’s arm and stormed off.

She let the two of them go. Suzaku probably needed medical care and some time to sleep off his near execution. Lelouch would stick close the entire time, so there was no need to go looking for him. There was no point in trying to track down Lelouch when he was angry, she would give the two of them time and try again when they woke up.

C.C. turned and leaned against the console, absently stroking it. The TARDIS hummed in response, C.C. catching some worry from the ship. She laughed and gave the ship a pat.

Lelouch and Suzaku were in no danger of being turned out, no matter how much of a good idea it would be. Lelouch would probably keep messing with the places and times that they visited, all of which would bring the Timelords onto them that much faster. But it wouldn’t be boring.

C.C. paused in the middle of her next stroke, staring at the central column of the TARDIS.

In the end, that was the reason that she wouldn’t turn the two people off. She had left Gallifrey to keep from keeping bored, and Lelouch would definitely do that. To watch Lelouch try and save the entirety of space and time on his own would be amusing to say the least.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chromemist requested: "Euphie surviving but being confined and slowly going insane"

There were a few rules that were given to the new recruits as they came in.

The first one was that they were never to ask who Zero was behind the mask. Zero’s identity was never as important as their goal to liberate Japan from Britannia. Zero’s secret was something to be tolerated and, eventually, gotten used to.

The second rule was to always report any damages or malfunctions to their Knightmare. Despite their sponsors they didn’t have an infinite supply. Besides, Rakshata always got upset when one of the Knightmares came back horrifically damaged.

The third rule was somewhat more obscure. They were given the run of the mobile base or the submarine, save for a series of rooms on the sub. The older members jokingly called the rooms the brig, although everyone knew that there was no one there. Some of the recruits had walked through the corridors and reported that there was nothing too interesting and that they hadn’t gotten far before they had gotten caught by Captain Kozuki.

There had been nothing but the usual sounds of the ocean outside the submarine, although one of the recruits swore that they had heard someone shouting. They swore that it had been a single question, but the question had made no sense.

The Black Knights didn’t keep prisoners and everyone inside the Black Knights knew the divide between Japanese and Britannians. So it made no sense that someone would be repeatedly asking if they were Japanese or where to find anyone Japanese, let alone laughing alone in their room. Nor did it explain why Captain Kozuki had looked so worried as she had rushed them away.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "For code geass month prompts, maybe a modern-day politics thing rather than giant robots?"

Lelouch watched the six men carefully from behind his mask. Only Kirihara seemed confident in what he was doing, the other five looked like they’d prefer to be anywhere else. That was surprising in itself considering the numbers of meetings they must have had with the Britannians to get into the position that they were in. 

No other Japanese families were granted the same rights and the same leniency that these six men were. Lelouch hadn’t been able to dig up exactly why, but he had his suspicions. 

All the other families of Japan had been stripped of all of their rights and businesses, but these six men had survived. Their businesses hadn’t been necessarily useful for the invasion, but they were more than helpful in holding Japan under Britannian control. He hadn’t had the time to research the six of them as much as he wanted to between Cornelia coaxing him to battle and the Refrain raids. He would have to make time later, but he was confident that he had enough to get the men to sway his way. After all, it had been easy to pull Kirihara to his side.

He settled back in his seat, pretending boredom. “I’ve heard many things about the six of you. The Six Houses of Kyoto?”

“A reminder of the Japan we serve.” Kirihara lifted his chin slightly, Lelouch almost wanting to laugh at the pride.

The emperor had been the first casualty of the war. His father wouldn’t suffer anyone with the same title as him, not even if it was a ceremonial position. It was even more ironic considering that the six of them had been supporters of Genbu Kururugi.

Lelouch tipped his head back, humming as he looked around the room. It was made up in the traditional style, probably to make themselves feel like they were preserving the country that they had given up so easily. He thought he saw movement behind a screen, but he ignored it for the moment. There were plenty of Black Knights guarding the room. Besides, Lelouch didn’t think that they would kill him, they needed him now that the viceroy wasn’t so keen on keeping them around.

He smoothed his fingers over some of the wrinkles in his suit, paying more attention to that than to the six men seated in front of him. “Now, I’ve heard rumors about weapons supplied to resistance groups for jobs well done. And I heard that you were interested in us.”

Kirihara nodded slowly. “You’ve delivered victories while the others have struggled. Cornelia has proven to be more difficult than Clovis.”

Lelouch tipped his head in acknowledgement of the point. His half-sister was applying herself to keeping Japan under strict military control. Lelouch had a running list of the resistance groups that she had destroyed, and all of them had been supplied by the Six Houses of Kyoto. It was almost to perfect to be considered a coincidence, but Lelouch would hold back his opinion on that.

He stopped the movement of his fingers, moving his gaze back to the men sitting around the table. “I can take care of Cornelia for you.”

“You’ve proven that.”

“To a point. I want your support.” The men at the table went still and quiet, Lelouch sure that they were considering the offer and what it would do to them. He was sure that they would want to stall out negotiations as long as it took to reassure themselves, but the Black Knights didn’t have the time. There were Refrain dealers to take down and careful moves to keep Cornelia away from them, which all needed a constant supply of weapons to continue. Lelouch wouldn’t be able to steal trains of supplies forever, especially with Cornelia paying close attention to everyone.

He nodded at them, leaning forward slightly. “It’s only fair considering all the auditions that we’ve put ourselves through. Shinjuku, Narita, the Refrain trade. That’s more than any of the others have done.”

“Yes, but it is our habit to talk.”

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, glad that the mask hid his expression. He doubted that their habit was to talk, especially when they had been the ones to extend the invitation. They were delaying for some reason, and that made him uneasy. 

He considered the six men, noting that half of them looked uncomfortable with his presence. So the invitation hadn’t been unanimous, probably because of what the support of a successful resistance force would mean. All six of them depended on playing both sides, and either side winning would be bad for them.

He hummed, keeping the sound as quiet as he could. “It might be your habit, but I’m confused about the delay. All of the other groups that you supported have crumbled under Cornelia’s persecution and joined us. If you continue to support them, then you’d end up supporting us.”

Some of the people shifted, Kirihara was the only calm one. “This isn’t a matter of whether to support you or not, but a matter of shifting around resources. We can’t be as free as before with Cornelia as viceroy. She has already removed Britannians from her council for double dealing. If she removes us from our positions, then there’ll be no chance to help Japan.”

Lelouch narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. The silence seemed to be what the old man was looking for.

Kirihara nodded and stood up. “You will receive another invitation when we’ve figured things out. In the meantime, there’s no reason for you to leave empty handed. After all, you’re bringing us our greatest victories. That should be encouraged.”

The rest of the men were slow to nod, Lelouch watching all of them. He would need to look into them more, but he didn’t need any more reasons to distrust them. Still, there was no reason to play his hand too early, not when it would mean that he didn’t have to steal from the Britannians or wrangle shoddy equipment from the smaller groups. Besides, it was the prestige that mattered. The Black Knights could fight all they wanted, but it would mean something more if the Six Houses of Kyoto supported them.

Still, there was no point in pushing, not when the six of them would just stall. It was time to make a retreat.

He stood up, bowing slightly at the waist to the six of them. “I thank you for your consideration and look forward to working together.”

Lelouch could tell that his confidence made some of them uneasy, but Kirihara was still grinning. The old man seemed to enjoy knowing something that the others didn’t, and that was something that he would have to keep a look out for. He didn’t want his identity to be used as leverage by the old man, there was too much riding on the secret.

He looked at the six men. They were useful enough for now, but they would be dangerous in the future as soon as he started tipping the scales his way. He would have to think on the best way to get rid of them, but that would have to wait until he’d gotten what he needed from them.

Lelouch turned on his heel, walking towards the door with a smile on his face.

The path of blood indeed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chromemist requested: "Zombie – The Cranberries"

"Another head hangs lowly  
Child is slowly taken  
And the violence caused such silence  
Who are we mistaken"  
- _Zombie_ , The Cranberries

Nunnally groped for Lelouch’s hand, her fingers patting against the ground. She could hear her brother breathing heavily beside her, but it was strangely muffled. She frowned and turned her head from side to side, trying to pinpoint exactly where Lelouch was.

All three of them were tucked inside the ruins of what Suzaku had told her was a shrine. It had been bombed out by the Britannian invasion, Nunnally could smell the burnt wood and feel the charred edged of the boards that were closest to her.

She didn’t dare to reach out and touch them now, not when she could hear people walking around the ruins. She didn’t know if they were civilians, Japanese soldiers or Britannians, neither Suzaku nor Lelouch had told her. They had just told her to be quiet and guided her into their hiding place.

Nunnally jerked her head up slightly when she heard someone shift beside her. She reached out towards the sound, her fingers closing around fabric. She rubbed it between her fingers before walking them further up the sleeve. Nunnally might not have been able to see who was beside her, but there were certain markers on their clothes. 

Suzaku’s collar was completely ripped off and his left sleeve had a hole where it met with his shoulder. There were plenty of other rips that she had felt during her transfers from Lelouch’s to Suzaku’s back and vice versa, but neither of them had told her how he had gotten them. She just assumed that Suzaku was doing most of the scouting ahead, which meant that she was the one that was going to get in the most danger.

She dragged her fingers down until she felt skin. Nunnally followed the skin down as the back of the hand tapered into fingers, slotting her own between the ones that she felt. Barely a moment later, the fingers tightened around her own, Nunnally recognizing the lack of callouses. 

Nunnally sighed and leaned against her brother, pressing the side of her head to what she assumed was his shoulder. All the while, the people walked in front of them.

She wanted to ask who they were, but she doubted that Lelouch would tell her. He would want to wait until everyone had passed and Suzaku had gotten the chance to make sure that they were really alone. 

Lelouch had gone over the reasons they couldn’t be caught on one of their first days walking through the war torn country. The Japanese would want to hold them for ransom if they were caught, and Lelouch didn’t know if Father would act quickly enough to save them. There had been some strange infliction in his voice when he had said it, but Nunnally had ignored it. Lelouch had every right to be mad that their father had declared war on Japan while they were still in the country. Why he had done it she didn’t know, but she was sure that there was a good explanation.

They couldn’t get caught by the Britannians either, because they would shoot Suzaku on sight. Nunnally hadn’t needed Lelouch to give her a reason for that. The first time they had walked through a slaughtered village she had been confused, but it hadn’t taken long for her to connect the smell that Lelouch had said was a garbage dump to the smell that had come when Lelouch had said that they were walking by some dead cows.

She bit her lip, raising her head slightly to hear any conversation, but the people were just shuffling past quietly. That made it more frightening. There was every chance that one of the people could discover the three of them tucked under the half collapsed floor of the shrine but, until then, they sounded like ghosts.

Nunnally sucked in a quick breath, working her hardest to keep it quiet. Some frightened part of her wanted to drag herself out and ask if they were ghosts, because it was scary enough with the soldiers and dead bodies around, but she wouldn’t risk Suzaku and Lelouch like that.

She was a princess of the Britannian empire. She could be brave as long as it took the three of them to find safety. She  _had_  to be brave, because it was the only thing left to her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sequel to the paralyzed Suzaku fic.

Guilford peered into the open office door, watching Euphemia as she bent over her work. She appeared to be working furiously, but Guilford didn’t think she was really paying much attention to what she was doing. Every time she looked up, her gaze was unfocused. She didn’t even notice that he was standing in open door.

He sighed and shook his head. This wasn’t the princess that he had grown to know.

Guilford cleared his throat, raising his hand to knock on the side of the door. It wasn’t until the knock that Euphemia started out of her work, staring at Guilford in shock.

She recovered quickly, plastering a shaky smile on her face before motioning for him to come inside. “Guilford! I didn’t see you there. Is there a meeting that I didn’t know about, or does Cornelia want me for something?”

He shook his head, hoping that Euphemia would count that as an answer for all of her questions. He stepped up to her desk, tipping forward slightly in a bow before resting his hand on the desk. “I came to ask you to take a walk with me. You’ve been working for so long that Princess Cornelia is getting worried.”

For a moment, he thought that his ploy would work, but then Euphemia narrowed her eyes. She looked so much like her sister that it make Guilford want to laugh, but the feeling didn’t last long.

Euphemia shook her head, her gaze going back to her computer. “No. I can’t. There are things that need my attention and I’m so behind already.”

“You have aides.”

“They can’t handle this. This is  _my_  job and I don’t want to pass it off to anyone else.” Euphemia paused to take a deep breath. “And I don’t want to see him. I know all of you mean well, but I  _can’t_.”

Guilford hummed, reaching back to pull up a chair. “Well, if you don’t want to walk with me, do you at least have the time to talk? I wasn’t lying when I said that Princess Cornelia was worried about you.”

Euphemia looked like she wanted to refuse, but she snapped her mouth shut in the next moment. She shut her laptop, rested her hand on it as she shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Guilford nodded, carefully keeping quiet as Euphemia shifted in her seat. It didn’t take long for her to lean forward.

“I can’t go back to see him, because it’s my fault. If I had managed to take control of the situation then none of this would have happened. If it had been Zero then it wouldn’t have happened, but I thought…” She reached up to wipe her eyes, Guilford quick to pull out a handkerchief. He leaned forward to hand it to her, Euphemia pressing it against her eyes. “I just wanted to help them, for his sake. And I ruined everything.”

Guilford made what he hoped was a comforting noise. He wasn’t quite sure that it worked, he’d never gotten much experience with comforting. Dalton perhaps would have been better at it considering that he had adopted five boys. Cornelia had never needed this kind of comfort, or she had never come to him for it.

He struggled to keep a rueful smile from his face because it wasn’t the time. There were other things to focus on.

Guilford waited for Euphemia to calm down a fraction before he dug in his coat pocket. He closed his fingers around the pin there, giving Euphemia a lingering look before placing it on her desk.

He heard Euphemia suck in a quick breath, ready for the way that she shook her head. Guilford pushed the pin closer to her, aware of the way that she jerked her fingers back like she expected it to attack her. “Sir Kururugi asked me to give you this for safe keeping. He said that he has it on good authority that physical therapy will be grueling and he doesn’t want to ruin it. But, and he made me repeat this many times, he will be back for it.”

“Why?”

“Because he pledged to be your knight.” Guilford stood up and put the chair back where it belonged. “Personally, I think he is perhaps a more ideal candidate than I initially thought.”

“But he’s just going to put himself in danger.”

“Princess, that’s what we do. Anyone who agrees knows this. It is our honor to serve.”

“But I can’t just let him do that, not after I got him hurt.”

“And that is why he will come back, because you obviously care enough about his safety to warrant that trust.”

Euphemia bit her lip, reaching out to pick up the pin. Guilford watched her turn the pin over in her hands, giving her a gentle nod when she looked up at him again.

He had delivered his message and the encouragement that he believed that Euphemia needed. He was sure that she would need Cornelia to speak to her, but he was sure that Cornelia intended to speak to her sister as soon as she took care of the pressing business of state.

Guilford was at the door when he heard a soft, “Thank you.” He smiled, but he didn’t turn around. It would be better if Euphemia worked through the problem herself, and he believed that she would. She was strong and stubborn, just like her sister.

Sir Kururugi was right to place his trust in her.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chromemist reqeusted: I’m the Only One – Melissa Etheridge

"It’s only fear that makes you run  
The demons that you’re hiding from."  
- _I’m the Only One_ , Melissa Etheridge

Villetta stared at the bottle of wine, sure that the cheerful tag on the side was mocking her. It had to be considering the delivery method.

She glanced around her small teacher’s apartment, resisting the temptation to draw the curtains shut and turn off all the lights. None of that would help her.

She regularly checked her rooms to make sure that they weren’t bugged, not that she had expected a Britannian student to be listening to her curse as she cooked or graded papers. Maybe she should have, but she doubted that Lelouch would care too much about what she did in the downtime between her two lives. Considering what she had been briefed on, he only wanted her because of her connection to the OSI.

Villetta shivered, rubbing her arms. She knew the full extent of the OSI surveillance of the campus and the information from Britannia that they could pull. It was everything that a fledgling rebellion could need and, for some reason, no one had thought about what would happen if Zero returned. She was sure that half of the men watching hadn’t believed that Lelouch could have been the one behind the Black Rebellion. Most of them hadn’t even believed that Lelouch had been a prince.

They had been far too overconfident that they could handle one student, but Lelouch had shown them up. He had managed to trip them up, sending them running after fake Zeros until he had managed to wrest control of the entire operation. Villetta was sure that all of her men were under Lelouch’s geass, maybe even Rolo, but there was no way to tell. There were no tests for that sort of thing, especially when Lelouch was playing a careful game.

She squeezed her shoulders, clinging to herself for a moment before shaking her head. The time to figure out what to do was past, because there was only one thing left for her to do. 

Lelouch knew what had happened the year before. He knew about her head injury and the weeks that she had spent away from her post. He knew about Ohgi.

Villetta sucked in a quick breath, trying to ignore the rush of fear that ran through her. It wasn’t fear for Ohgi, it was fear for herself. 

She had the title that she had always wanted, but she understood that it could so easily become temporary. As long as she followed her orders, she would continue being a baroness only as long as no one found out about how she had helped the Black Knights. It hadn’t been large contributions, but it was more than enough to turn the rage of Britannia on her if anyone found out.

No one could find out, and she was sure that the piece of information was exactly what Lelouch would hold over her head. It was bad enough that she had helped the Black Knights, but it was worse to have lived with the second-in-command.

She shoved herself away from the table, barely hearing the clatter of the chair as it fell behind her. Her instinct was telling her to run, to pack up everything and rush to the nearest safe house. She knew who Zero was, and she had him cornered, but any announcement would be met with resistance from Lelouch. If she spoke out, then he would and everything fall apart.

Villetta glared at the bottle on the table before making her choice. She snatched up the bottle, giving the cheery tag one more glance.

_‘For our favorite coach. Happy Birthday Miss Nu!’_

She tore the tag off, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it to one side of the room.

If she was going to collude with Zero and the Black Knights, for however brief a time that may be, she was going to enjoy her birthday, even if it took the whole bottle of wine.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sequel to the superhero Suzaku and supervillain Lelouch.

I get a little bit Genghis Khan  
I don’t want you to get it on  
With nobody else but me  
With nobody else but me  
- _Genghis Khan_ , Miike Snow

He took a risk every time that he went out to watch Suzaku, Lelouch knew that. The man was a pinnacle of humanity, the best that rigorous military training and, probably, dubious experimentation could buy. Compared to all that, Lelouch just had the power of his mind. He didn’t know if Suzaku could actually resist him, but pushing the man to that point wasn’t on his to do list. It was just enough to watch Suzaku fight and to arrange things so that he could watch the eventual outcome. He didn’t feel too bad about throwing pawns at Suzaku as long as they worked to his eventual aim

But there were times that he couldn’t resist dropping down to Suzaku’s level. Lelouch blamed the mask, because it was easier to do it all with the secure knowledge that Suzaku would never know his face. Suzaku could never know who he was, which made it safe to tease and watch because Suzaku would never get to him.

Lelouch circled around behind Suzaku, tempted to reach out at him like that but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. He moved out to the side. Suzaku tensed when he caught sight of him, Lelouch smiling behind his mask as he sent out a soft mental touch.

As always, Suzaku flinched at the first touch, but that was always to be expected.

_Hello, White Knight._

“Zero.”

He tipped his head in a nod, circling around Suzaku so they could face each other. It wasn’t the approach that he would like to take, but it meant that Suzaku was less likely to charge at him. In return, if Lelouch could call it that, Suzaku didn’t immediately rush to take him down.

Lelouch paused when he was right in front of Suzaku, watching the man carefully.  _I could say this is a wonderful surprise…_

“But we know it’s a lie.” Suzaku snorted, obviously annoyed by his presence. But it was the attention Lelouch craved, so he could overlook the annoyance. Suzaku turned his gaze away, the little show of trust making Lelouch’s heart flutter. “Who have you killed this time?”

_You wound me. No one._

“And how can I believe you.”

_I could swear to it._

Suzaku snorted in disgust, his gaze back on Lelouch. “I wouldn’t believe you.”

_Then you’ll just have to take my word for it. I was just in the neighborhood._

“Why?”

_In my line of work, it pays to know where the Rounds are. It would be dangerous to do otherwise._

“And here I thought that you would make things easy for me.”

“You can joke?” Lelouch was so surprised that he spoke out loud, something that he avoided on principle with Suzaku. He didn’t know how well the mask muffled and distorted his voice. He didn’t know how well Suzaku could track him through the noise of Pendragon, but he didn’t ever want that to happen.

His only saving grace was that Suzaku looked just as surprised. Lelouch pressed his lips together, and looked away. He was tempted to offer something to Suzaku, something to bring that glorious attention back to him, but he held himself back. There were too many schemes that he had brewing that he couldn’t risk revealing too soon. There was nothing he could give to Suzaku.

He smiled ruefully, the corner of his mouth twisting up before he quashed the urge completely. There was nothing else he could do, except for slip away and check on the wheels that he had set in motion and he couldn’t have Suzaku following him for that.

Lelouch nodded at Suzaku and started backing away, not surprised when Suzaku pivoted to look at him. “And where are you going?”

_I thought you would be glad to see me leave._

“I should bring you in.”

Lelouch sighed and looked back at Suzaku, watching the man for a moment before shrugging. “You can try.”

He reached out for Suzaku’s mind, ready to put his usual hold on it but he stopped himself. Instead, he just raised a hand to wave goodbye to Suzaku before walking away. Lelouch heard the scuff of Suzaku’s shoe on the ground, but the man didn’t follow. Lelouch considered turning around, but that seemed like he would be tempting fate. It was better to count this encounter as a victory and walk away.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @chromemist requested: Fatal Frame 3/survivors guilt. Part of my kinda crossover with the Fatal Frame series. ([Part I](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/77859664500/sothe-only-horror-game-that-i-know-well-is-fatal) \- [Part II](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5124497/chapters/11790332))

Lelouch leaned his forehead against the old wooden door, listening as Euphemia shoved her weight against it. The heavy door barely moved with her efforts, and Lelouch doubted that it would. The corner of his mouth twitched up when he heard Euphemia curse before she stepped way.

He lifted his head to see through the small, barred gap in the door, looking out at where his sister and cousin were standing in the hallway. Nunnally was clutching the flashlight and the Camera Obscura in her lap, her gaze constantly moving around the room. Euphemia seemed equally as distracted even as she rattled the handle.

“It’s locked. We’ll need to find a key.”

Lelouch nodded even as he felt terror coiling in his gut. He didn’t want to be left alone, locked in a room. Something would come after him and he didn’t even have the camera to defend himself with. But, if they didn’t go, then he would be stuck in the old mansion until he died along with Euphemia and Nunnally, and he couldn’t do that to them. They had to find the key, so it was better that they took the camera with them.

He curled his hands around the bars, trying to keep his voice even. “Don’t split up, and be careful.”

“We will.” Euphemia reached up to squeeze his hand. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

She squeezed his hand one more time before turning around and taking the handles of Nunnally’s wheelchair. It took careful maneuvering to turn the wheelchair towards the door, but it left Nunnally with her hands free to operate the camera and the flashlight. It was the best arrangement for the two of them, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. 

Lelouch watched until the two of them had left the hallway, the light going with them. He sighed and stepped away from the door, standing in the center of the small room. It was probably the safest place in the room, because no ghost would be able to get a jump on him without him seeing them. It was a thin comfort, but it was the best that he could do.

He rubbed his arms, trying to keep his breathing steady. He didn’t want to panic, not when that seemed to draw the ghosts’ attention. But it was hard when everything about the house made him want to leave.

He took a deep breath, holding it to a count of three before letting it out. Lelouch repeated it a few more times, the next breath catching in his throat when he realized that his breathing wasn’t the only sound in the room. He sucked in a quick breath at the same time as the thing breathed out.

Lelouch dug his fingers into his arms, turning slowly in the center of the room. He couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean that nothing was there.

Then, as quickly as the strange feeling was gone.

Lelouch swayed in place, tempted to make a quick scout around the room he was in when he saw a light coming through the bars. He took a step forward, expecting to see Nunnally and Euphemia returning. If there was a key for the room, then it should have been close. 

He peered out through the bars, freezing when he saw the figure standing on the other side. 

“Suzaku…”

His friend smiled like he could hear Lelouch, but that was impossible. It was just as impossible as Suzaku being there, because he was dead.

Lelouch looked down, flinching at the bloody bullet wound that he could see in Suzaku’s stomach. He stuck his hand out through the bars, reaching out for Suzaku before he remembered himself. 

He took a step back, surprised when Suzaku looked hurt.

“I’m sorry.” Saying the words out loud felt like a punch to his gut. He had repeated the words multiple times over the years, but it had always been delivered to a headstone. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have happened. I should have…”

Suzaku made a motion like he wanted to hug Lelouch, but he stopped close to the door. Suzaku cocked his head to the side, watching him closely.

Lelouch shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Those seemed to be the only words that he could say to Suzaku. Lelouch squeezed his eyes closed, trying to control himself again.

Suzaku hadn’t been a rare sight in the mansion, but every time it put him on the wrong foot. It was horrible, because he would have given anything to see Suzaku again.

He turned around, putting his back to the door and sliding down to the floor. He rested his head on the top of his knees, putting his hands on the back of his neck. It wasn’t truly protection from anything, but at least he wasn’t looking at Suzaku any longer.

Lelouch closed his eyes, listening to Suzaku shift outside the door. It should have been more frightening, having a ghost waiting for him on the other side of the door, but it was equal parts comforting and horrible.

It was nice to have someone there, someone that he could trust to keep him safe in the old mansion, especially while he was in the semi-dark. But it was horrible because he was the reason that Suzaku was dead in the first place.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mythical creature AU

C.C. shed her glamour as she stepped off of the porch of the clubhouse. It felt good to shake the shreds of magic and illusion from her, her true form stretching out from the constraints that she had kept herself in. C.C. gave herself another shake, glancing down at the grass lawns of Ashford Academy. It was tempting to drop down and roll, just to scratch the itch that ran along her topline. But that kind of abandonment had gotten her in trouble before, it’s how Clovis had caught her, although the prince had never been able to figure her out.

Then again, Clovis hadn’t been working with all the information that he could possibly need. All of his problems could have been solved if Charles had told them of their lineage. Then he wouldn’t have been surprised to find a woman who always showed up in photos as a unicorn.

She arched her neck, her ears twitching as she listened for the sounds of other things moving. Britannia might have subjugated the people of Japan, but its creatures were a bit harder to subdue. They had all gotten used to hiding centuries before Britannia had come. It would be rare to hear another creature like her so close to the city, most of them had run away with the push of Britannia. It was difficult to stay where one wasn’t wanted.

The sounds of the horses in the stables attracted her attention for a moment, C.C. spending a moment listening to them before turning away and walking around the clubhouse. For the moment she was safe, the smells of the city, the horses and the scent of something not quite human would be enough to mask her. After all, there were a few people in the world who didn’t have ancestors that were something more than human. There were fewer still where the connection to the things that they called legendary creatures was close to the current generation. C.C. could smell a few of them, but she had no intention of bothering them. Considering everything that she had seen in Britannia, any claims like that would be shot down immediately. The only myths that the Britannians cared about were the ones that were spun out in labs.

C.C. picked her way to the back porch, shooting another look at the house. The scent of dragon was strong, stronger than she would have suspected considering the distance from the original creature. But even that wasn’t enough. Neither Lelouch and Nunnally knew what they were, but most people would not connect the family who claimed their ancestors came from the legendary Arthur Pendragon to real dragons. Then again, most people missed the obvious.

It was a shame that the bloodline wasn’t strong enough to allow the two of them to claim the powers that their ancestor had possessed. It would be amusing to see Lelouch as a dragon.

She flicked her tail at the thought, quickly pushing it away. It wasn’t her concern. Her focus was on keeping the two of them safe for Marianne’s sake, and the achievement of her own goals. Lelouch seemed trustworthy enough, just as long as she kept helping him along.

C.C. turned her attention to the back lawn, giving the grass a long look as she stepped onto it. She was in the clear for now, which meant that she could take some time for simple pleasures, like the taste of cool grass or the relief from the annoying itch that wearing her glamour for too long left behind.

Her skin shivered at the itch, C.C. swinging her head around to nip at a spot just behind her withers. She scrapped her teeth across her skin, working the itch out. She intended to move down what parts of her back that she could reach when she heard the sound of wings.

She turned around, tipping her head to the side as she tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. She saw a shape in the night, C.C. snorting as the large bird came in to land on the back porch railing. She stared at it for a moment, amused by the polite glances that it kept throwing her away, but it wouldn’t meet her gaze completely. C.C. rolled her eyes and walked up to the porch.

From the way that the bird fluffed and resettled its feathers, it was surprised by her boldness. C.C. found that most creatures in the current generation were. They were more used to hiding and laying low than the older generations were. Then again, they were also more fragile.

She flared her nostrils, taking in the bird’s scent. It was familiar, something of summer, gunpowder and sunflowers lurking behind the usual smell of feathers and smoke that came with phoenixes. And, underneath all of that, the sharp scent of blood.

C.C. shook her head, the phoenix immediately turning to keep one side away from her. “Sorry.”

She wanted to laugh at the worry, but it was sweet. It was rare that anyone cared enough about her to try and keep her comfortable, even if they were wrong.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not one of your  _kirin_ who faint at the sight of blood. I’ve been around too long for that.”

The phoenix looked at her in shock before shifting on the railing again, his long tail trailing over the deck. C.C. turned her head to the side to get a better look. It was hard to tell how many colors were in the phoenix’s tail in the dim light, but she could see red, blue, yellow and green well enough. She flicked an ear, giving the phoenix a long look.

It had been a long time since she had seen a phoenix that looked like this one did. She had spent most of her time alive in Europe and had gotten used to the falcon and hawk-likes ones over there. Even then, he did look familiar.

C.C. let the silence sit between them for a moment, running through her memories until she came across one that fit. Then she laughed, watching as the phoenix jerked at the sound. “I remember you now. You name was a bit obvious though.”

“My mother named me.”

“Her side?”

The phoenix opened and shut his wings, C.C. taking a minute to realize that it was his version of a shrug. “Both sides I think.”

She hummed, flicker her tail over her haunches as she thought. Where he had gotten it from didn’t matter, he had already proven that he was on Lelouch’s side. Although it was curious that he would reappear so soon. She eyed him carefully before giving up. He was too young to know how to hide everything from his body language, but she wasn’t going to waste her whole night dragging information out of him. It had been a while since he’d gotten the chance to really stretch her legs.

C.C. walked up to the railing, treading carefully. Her hooves could be loud on the wood, possibly loud enough to wake up the maid and she knew nothing about Sayoko. To her amusement, the phoenix stepped closer down the railing towards her.

“So, I thought you would be enjoying being free.”

“I was. I  _am_.” The phoenix was quick to correct himself, his feathers fluffing out slightly. “But I…I’m getting the chance to come here for school and I wanted to check it out first.”

“Smart.”

The phoenix bobbed his head slightly, turning to look back at the clubhouse. “I also wanted to check on Lelouch. I thought he might have gotten himself in trouble.”

“Why?”

“No reason.” He was quick to look away, C.C. not even having to watch his body language to figure out he was lying.

She didn’t push him on that, too interested in the way that he kept looking at where Lelouch’s window was. She doubted that he would be stupid enough to get himself caught late at night, especially when there would be no explaining to Lelouch why there was a strange colored peacock outside of his window. He would probably just check and leave, which was more than enough for her. Lying or not, it was obvious that he didn’t mean to harm Lelouch.

If he had, then he wouldn’t have taken a bullet for the two of them.

The phoenix leaned forward out from underneath the porch, probably judging the jump he would have to make to get airborne. He gave her a quick look before dropping into a bow. “Thank you for looking after him.”

“You shouldn’t thank me.”

That took him off guard, the phoenix looking at her for a moment before leaping from the porch railing. C.C. stepped back to let him past.

She turned as he gained height and flew off. C.C. rose up onto her hind legs, watching as he cleared the buildings and headed out towards the gate. For a moment, she was tempted to follow after him, just to see where he was going. Then again, it didn’t matter. He was more interested in looking after Lelouch, which meant that he was not a threat, at least for now. She had been alive too long to trust so easily. Still, she did owe him a debt for saving her life, even if it had been misguided. And she wanted to get that debt out of the way as soon as possible. Considering what she had seen from Lelouch, she would need all her attention on him instead of another creature.

She pivoted around, pushing the thoughts of phoenix and the two humans inside the clubhouse aside. She would be spending plenty of time with the two of them later. Tonight, she would take for herself.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chromemist requested: "Ok, I need a fic/drabble/however long it takes of Nunally finding out about everyone in Pendragon being dead and confronting Schneizel about his lie to her that everyone was ok."

There were times that Nunnally looked like Lelouch. Those times were few and far between, which made them all the more startling.

Schneizel very carefully didn’t move, trying to stare Nunnally down. It had never worked for Lelouch, but it had helped him. Lelouch always had tells, a slight twitch that would give away everything, but Nunnally didn’t have any of those that he knew of. He had never gotten the chance to study Nunnally like he’d studied Lelouch. The best thing to do would be nothing, to just wait and listen. Besides, Schneizel doubted that he would be able to steer the conversation away from anything that had to do with the empire.

Nunnally might look like Lelouch, but she also looked every inch the empress.

She cleared her throat, Nunnally’s spine straightening that extra inch more, and then she had all the poise and presence of their father. Nunnally reached out for the papers on her desk, her fingers skimming over the print like she still needed to read the print with her fingers. She picked the papers up, their edges crumpling under the force of her grip.

“Your majesty?”

Nunnally didn’t let up her grip on the paper, not seeming to notice that it was starting to tear. With the force of violence in the motion, Schneizel was surprised at how even her voice was. “Do you know how many people live in Pendragon?”

There was a pause, Schneizel tempted to speak but he held his tongue. The look on Nunnally’s face was enough of a warning that she didn’t need him to answer the question.

It was a good course of action because Nunnally dropped the papers to the desk. “There were 1.513 million. 1.513  _million_  people, and they’re all dead now. Because you fired a FLEIJA on them to intimidate my brother.”

“Your majesty, I-”

“No.” Nunnally met his gaze. She was far angrier than Schneizel had ever seen her. “You told me that they were all evacuated. I  _believed_  that they were. And now I find out that you did not lift a finger to help them. So, not only did you murder your own people but you did it in  _my_  name.”

“It was a calculated-”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT IT WAS!” Schneizel took a step back as Nunnally raised her voice. She didn’t seem to notice his surprise, she just came around her desk, moving her wheelchair around to keep the same amount of distance between them. “You took advantage of me and my disability. And you decided to sweep it all under the rug.”

“It seemed like the best thing to-”

“You are still my prime minister, although I’m having doubts about that. I should be able to delegate tasks to you without having to worry that you will resort to murder to carry them out.”

Schneizel bristled at the insinuation. “I am not Lelouch.”

“No, but you’re close enough to him that I have to worry.” Nunnally paused in her tirade to take a deep breath. She let her wheelchair roll to a stop in front of him.

Schneizel studied her for a moment, unsure of what to do. Nunnally had always been the easiest to manipulate, not that he made a habit of purposefully pushing his siblings around. It was only when circumstances were dire that he turned to his siblings. They were harder to get rid of in the end.

Nunnally seemed to take his silence as an answer, because she shook her head. “I wish I could just remove you from your office, but the people don’t need that kind of political instability, not now. Consider this your warning. You are dismissed.”

Schneizel was shocked by the words, just as much as he was by the fact that Nunnally turned and went back to her desk. At a loss of what to do, he bowed to her back and retreated towards the door. He wasn’t in the mood for more screaming directed at him, not when there would be plenty of that back at his offices.

He paused at the door, looking back to where Nunnally was looking at the papers, watching as she mouthed words to herself. It was only after he had watched her for a while that he realized that she was mouthing the names of the dead. All that meant that she wouldn’t forget, which meant his time as prime minister would be short lived.

Schneizel wondered how he could have underestimated Nunnally but, then again, she had always been quiet. Lelouch had always been the louder one vying for attention. He had forgotten that Nunnally was much the same as her brother with all the same rage and anger. She was just much better hiding it than her brother had been.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: A has a history of severe nightmares, B knows how to calm A down but is out of town, C has to try for the first time alone

Suzaku rocketed out of bed and reached for the gun he kept in his nightstand even before he knew what had woken him up. He froze partially bent over the table as he tried to figure out what had happened.

His geass hadn’t woken up him, not that Suzaku could think of a reason that someone would be trying to kill him. People generally didn’t come after a dead man. Plus, he doubted that he had tried to kill himself in his sleep.

Suzaku shook his head, straightening up slowly to look back over at the bed. He jumped when he saw that C.C. was staring at him. It was too dark to make out her expression, nor did he have the time. She huffed and threw off the covers, slipping out of the bed and walking to the bathroom. He watched her go, flicking on the light as an afterthought. He saw the edge of the white shirt she had been sleeping in briefly before she had disappeared into the bathroom.

The door shut behind her, Suzaku confused by her behavior. C.C. usually didn’t make a production of things, that was more of Lelouch’s territory. For all of her teasing and cryptic messages to annoy Lelouch, she was probably the most straightforward of the three of them.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking around the room to try and distract himself. He still didn’t know what had woken him up, but everything looked fine.

Lelouch still hadn’t come back, but that wasn’t strange in itself. Lelouch had been working late more recently, Suzaku assuming that Lelouch was rushing things to Zero Requiem. He doubted that it would help things considering that it would fail if Lelouch worked himself to death. But that was one of the things that Suzaku didn’t like to think about too hard.

He wasn’t going to back out of their plan, they had come too far to stop, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t regret it.

Suzaku sighed and let his hand drop back to his side. Whether or not Lelouch was in bed with them didn’t matter. Suzaku had year of military habit to fall back on and he had seen C.C. fall asleep at the drop of a hat. That didn’t mean that he didn’t miss having Lelouch there, the bed seemed too empty without him.

He shook his head and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned back on his hands, ready to lie back down when he saw a bit of yellow out of the corner of his eye. Suzaku frowned and leaned over towards C.C’s side of the bed, surprised to see the stuffed animal she slept with on the floor. It was strange considering the tight hold that C.C. had on Cheese-kun every other time. The stuffed animal might fall to the floor, but it looked like it had been thrown or kicked.

Suzaku stood up, walking around to stare at the stuffed animal. He was debating picking it up when the door to the bathroom opened. Suzaku looked up, frowning when he saw that C.C’s eyes were red and the skin around them slightly puffy. He tipped his head to the side, expecting a stray comment or one of her jokes, but she just stared at him. The same expression stayed on her face, even when he bent down to grab Cheese-kun.

He offered the stuffed animal to her, surprised when she shook her head and made her way back over to the bed. Suzaku stood rooted in his spot, watching as she pulled the blankets back around her. He swayed in place, intending to go back to his side of the bed when he saw her rubbing at her chest.

He paused in the act of moving away, staring at C.C. as she shrunk further into the covers. Now that he was awake and paying attention, she looked obviously shaken. It was a familiar look, one that he had sometimes seen on Lelouch’s face and sometimes Nunnally’s back when they had been at Ashford Academy. It was one that he was familiar with from looking at his own face in the mirror.

Suzaku glanced down at Cheese-kun, meeting the stuffed animal’s blank gaze before stepping towards the bed.

C.C. didn’t seem to notice his movement at first, her gaze locked on the door. When she did look over at him, her first reaction was to flinch.

Suzaku stopped short, holding Cheese-kun between her and him. “You look like you need him.”

C.C. rocked back, Suzaku sure that she would refuse right off the bat. To his relief, she opened her arms, holding still as he deposited Cheese-kun into her lap. She immediately curled around it, hugging the stuffed animal tight.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, carefully keeping distance between the two of them. It was different for everyone. Nunnally had needed to touch something that couldn’t have come from her nightmares. Lelouch didn’t want to be held at all, he would occupy himself until he fell asleep again, all Suzaku had to do was watch for that moment. With C.C. he had no idea how to proceed.

Suzaku shifted in place before looking over at her. It was obvious that she wasn’t going to fall asleep, if anything she looked like she was going over what had happened in her head. Suzaku tipped his head to the side, quickly looking away when she glanced over at him.

He heard her shift on the bed, only looking over at her again when she stopped moving. She was still curled around Cheese-kun and she still looked defensive, but she didn’t look like she was ready to shake apart. “Are you-”

“I’m not going to start screaming and give you away if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No. I’m worried about you.”

The corner of her mouth twitched up into a brief smile. “That’s sweet of you.”

“We’re all accomplices.”

“We’re almost done with each other.”

“That doesn’t stop me from caring.”

That got another almost smile out of her. C.C. pressed her face against Cheese-kun, holding it there for a minute before she looked up again. “You can go back to bed.”

“I will, in a few minutes. It’s late and Lelouch isn’t back.”

“You can be the one to drag him away from his work. He doesn’t yell at you as much.”

“I think it’s because he knows I can just throw him over my shoulder.”

“Maybe I should start working out then.” C.C. uncurled just enough so that she could run her hand down Cheese-kun’s side. Suzaku watched her pet the side of the stuffed animal before standing up.

It was late enough that he could wander through the building without running the risk of being caught. Besides, Suzaku knew two places that Lelouch would go so late at night. He would either be in the library or his own study down the hall.

Suzaku got up from the bed, pausing to look over at C.C. “Will you be alright if I leave?”

She paused, Suzaku surprised by the openness in her expression. It took her a moment to recover, C.C. shrugging quickly. “You won’t settle until he comes back.”

“I won’t leave unless you want me to.”

C.C. shook her head. “What are we going to do with you, Suzaku Kururugi?”

“I think Lelouch has a plan for that.”

“He always does.” She went quiet for a moment, her gaze darting between the door and the lamp on the side table.

Suzaku followed her gaze, staring at the lamp for a moment before shrugging. “I’ll leave it on.”

“If you must.” She probably meant to sound bored, but it came out as more grateful than anything else.

Suzaku just nodded at her and walked away. C.C. and Lelouch were alike in that small way, they would hang onto their pride above all things because, at one point it was all they had.

He gave C.C. one last look before he walked out of the room. If she wanted to be alone for a while, he would let her be. He wouldn’t be gone for too long, he didn’t intend to search the whole building for Lelouch. If Lelouch didn’t want to be found then it would be for a reason, and he would allow it. Lelouch had his own things to work through and he had never seen C.C. like this, so she needed his attention more. Although, he shouldn’t really be surprised.

According to Lelouch, C.C. was hundreds of years old. That didn’t mean that she would stop having nightmares, it just meant that she had that much more experience to draw from, which had to be more horrible. Hundreds of years was a long time to live with the horrors in your head.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the [Voltron AU](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8157727/chapters/18695270) that I wrote for last year's Suzalulu Week.

Thunder and lightning it’s getting exciting  
Lights up the skyline to show where you are  
–  _You Are the Only One,_ Sergey Lazarev

Kallen pressed herself into the nook in the Britannian ship. She pressed a hand over her mouth to keep the sounds of her breathing from getting too loud. The spaceship was running with heavy patrols, not surprising considering how close they were to Arus. If they were after the castle, the princess and the lions, then it was the place to go.

She glanced down at her armor, tapping on a portion of her arm to stare at the radar there. She didn’t know if it was reassuring or not to see the blips that represented where Suzaku and Gino were baiting the Britannians. The two of them had been soldiers for Britannia until recently and Kallen didn’t know why they had stopped. There hadn’t been time to talk to them about why they had changed or why Suzaku had seemed especially close to the man they had found.

Kallen dropped her hand from her mouth, muttering a curse under her breath as she saw the blue and green blips dart apart. So their ruse had been discovered, which meant that she didn’t have much time left, and neither did the others. Kallen stared at the yellow blip that seemed to be just under her before passing her hand over the panel. It went black, leaving Kallen with her thoughts.

There was no way she was going to be able to help Suzaku and Gino, at least not for a while. She could still run back to where Lelouch and Chiba were working their way through the rest of the ship. Kallen was sure that she could at least trust Chiba, the woman was one of the original paladins of the lions, for what little that was worth. She probably wouldn’t betray them, not while she was desperate to find out what had happened to her four other companions.

What would happen to the new paladins afterward Kallen didn’t know, but she was sure that they would figure it out later. Princess Kaguya would probably prefer experienced pilots to the few she had managed to scrape together by accident. It didn’t matter how good she, Suzaku or Gino could fly if they had little experience with the lions.

Kallen let out her breath slowly, forcing herself to focus. She didn’t have the time to be sitting around, not when so many things could go wrong. Besides, she would be lying if she pretended that she didn’t want to get a shot at one of the lions herself. She was just as good of a pilot as the others, she might as well prove it.

She pulled out her bayard, activating it with a flick of her wrist. She settled her fingers more securely around the hilt of the dagger, staring at the red and gold designs on it before nodding to herself and pushing away from the wall.

She tore down the hall at a run, glancing from side to side. She could still hear the sound of boots on the metal of the hallways, but they all sounded like they were running towards the sides of the ship where the fighter vessels were stowed. None of them would be looking for one girl running for the center of the ship.

Kallen narrowed her eyes, trying to seek out the energy that she had been trailing through the ship. It was fire and freedom, shining brightly ahead of her. It was the bright sun on her back and the flash of distant stars in space. It wanted to fly. It wanted to  _shine_.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. She couldn’t quite reach it, not with the strange mental mumbo-jumbo that Suzaku had been talking about, but she could throw her joy at it and hope that it would reach the lion before she did. Kaguya had warned her that the red lion would take a bit of convincing, but she was sure about herself.

From what she felt the red lion was angry at being helpless, angry at being held. It was a creature of the skies and open space, and it had been confined for too long.

Kallen could understand that, she had been held back in her father’s house, forced into the mold that her step-mother had wanted. She had lived on a Britannian controlled planet, been told that she  _was_  Britannian and had to act like it. Was told that she had to be one way when every part of her longed for something else. She had seven years of rage to take out, and she would gladly give every ounce of it to the lion.

She skidded around a corner, digging her dagger into the wall to keep her from falling over. She turned her head towards the door, smiling at it.

She was close now, just the single door between her and the lion.

Kallen tugged her dagger out of the wall, taking two steps forward as she swung it at the control panel. The edge of the dagger glowed pink as it sliced easily through the circuitry. She tugged it loose as the door whined, Kallen glancing down the corridor as the door sluggishly slid open.

No patrols were rushing after her, which meant that she was still in the clear. There was plenty of time to earn the lion’s trust, not that she thought she would have to. Even as the door inched open she could feel the lion’s gaze on her, sizing her up.

Kallen puffed out her chest and marched down to the barrier. She ignored the control panel, preferring to press her hand right up against the barrier.

The lion’s amusement at her presumption blasted through her. Kallen gritted her teeth and pushed back, giving the lion all she had in return. She felt it resisting her, Kallen gritting her teeth and pressing her other hand against the barrier.

It wondered how she could dare, how she could imagine that she could stand against the Britannian Empire if everything that she was telling it was true.

Kallen pulled one hand back and slapped the barrier, hearing her dagger knock against the surface. “You son of a bitch….”

“There she is!”

Kallen looked over her shoulder, staring at the five guards that had rushed into the room. She looked at their guns and turned around, pressing her back against the barrier. She got a better hold at her dagger, looking them over. All of them looked young and nervous, which would work to her advantage.

She grinned at them, dropping into a crouch. “Alright. Who’s first?”

The guards took a step back, Kallen wanting to laugh at them. These were soldiers of Britannia, the empire that ruled half of the known galaxy and they were scared of one girl on her own. One of them fumbled at their hostler, but the gun just tumbled out to the ground and he didn’t bother to pick it up.

Kallen threw her head back and laughed at that, making to pull herself back into control quickly. She shook her head. “Is that all you’ve got? Come on then!”

She charged forward, shouting at the top of her lungs. And the red lion roared with joy along with her.


	28. Chapter 28

“I loved my friend  
He went away from me  
There’s nothing more to say  
The poem ends,  
Soft as it began-  
I loved my friend.”  
-Langston Hughes

The room was dark, the curtains carefully drawn to prevent light from getting in. He had done it at first because he wasn’t supposed to be alive. Neither of them had been willing to risk everything that they had lost, everything that they had given up, on the gamble of one person looking up. He hadn’t been thinking much about the room that morning, he had been thinking about the parade route, the street and the signal. All of that had been easier than thinking about what he would be doing as soon as the signal went through.

The room had looked dark before, but now it looked like a tomb.

Suzaku sighed and reached back to press in the catch at the back of the helmet. He tipped his head forward, catching the helmet even though his fingers slid on the tacky blood. Suzaku quickly pulled his fingers away, setting the helmet down on the nearest table, purposefully keeping it turned away from him. He didn’t want to see the bloodstains.

He reached up to pull the secondary mask down from over his nose and mouth, freezing in the middle of the motion when something moved on the bed. He stared at the curtains that had been pulled back, watching as they fluttered as someone moved. 

Suzaku took a step back, reaching for the mask even as he looking around to where he had stashed his weapons in the room. He might have been officially declared dead, but that didn’t mean that he would give up his job to keep Lelouch safe.

His breath caught in his throat at the thought, Suzaku quickly pushing aside the memory of bloody fingers dragging down the side of his face and running over the handle of the sword. There were more important things to focus on at the moment, like the fact that the whole farce could come crashing down because he wasn’t alert enough to do a basic room check before taking off his mask.

He closed his fingers around the back edge of the mask, about to pull it back on when the person reached over to flick on one of the lights. Suzaku sighed in relief when he recognized C.C. sitting on the edge of the bed.

He dropped the mask back on the table, his shoulders slumping. “C.C.”

She just nodded when he spoke her name, her eyes not leaving his. She let him stand in silence for a moment before patting the bed beside her.

Suzaku resisted against the temptation for a moment, because Suzaku Kururugi was dead and because someone would eventually come back around and ask for Zero. Because he had agreed to all of this and because he had spent the past month trying to convince himself that he hated Lelouch just for this moment. It would be easier to just hate Lelouch instead of mourning, because Suzaku had had far too much of that in his life.

None of it stopped him from crossing the room and sinking onto the bed beside C.C.

He slumped, closing his eyes as he felt her hand rub up his arm. C.C. kept the touch gentle for a while before she pulled him close.

Suzaku let himself be tipped over, taking a deep breath as C.C. guided his head to her shoulder. He was tempted to just curl up against her, but he couldn’t let himself. They were together for this moment and then they would separate. The only thing that had bound the two of them together was Lelouch.

And now he was gone.

He tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. “I…”

He didn’t know what he was trying to say, because there was just too much. There were questions about what she would do, what the two of them would do. There were apologies for pushing Lelouch towards the end because he had owed C.C. something and because Lelouch had meant just as much if not more to her. Instead he pressed his face against C.C’s shoulder.

She seemed to understand, Suzaku flinching as she rested a hand on his head. She made a partially annoyed sound, putting a little bit more pressure into the touch before starting to card her fingers through his hair. “Stubborn. The both of you.”

Suzaku didn’t answer, he just closed his eyes. C.C. didn’t seem to be too annoyed by his lack of answer, she just kept stroking his hair. Suzaku was lulled into an almost doze by the motion, only coming back to himself when she stopped.

The two of them sat in silence, Suzaku lifting his head slightly to be able to see her face. C.C. didn’t let him, shifting her hold onto his shoulders and keeping him in place. She twisted on the side of the bed, wrapping her other arm around his waist and pulling him into a hug.

Suzaku went without a complaint, letting her hold him close. He reached out to rest his hands on her hips, not daring to do anything more forward. Suzaku felt C.C. huff against the side of his neck, but she didn’t say anything else. 

She shifted her hold so she was cupping the back of his head with one hand, the security of the hold making him relax.

Suzaku pressed his face against her shoulder, closing his eyes as she spoke. “I miss him too.”


	29. Chapter 29

“Ambition is a mounting demon who first corrupts and then rots the heart and mind. It invites the shallow residue of humanity to dance with it and, if the dance be successful, it has but one reward – a transient power and fame before sinking into the oblivion of the grave.”  
\- Dancing with Demons, Peter Tremayne

It was a lesson baldly learned, he understood that now. He had been confident of his actions before because they were all meticulously planned. There had never been any other plan than that.

Euphemia couldn’t be allowed to start the Special Administrative Zone, because she didn’t  _know_. She had probably seen Japan by now, but it wasn’t the Japan that he had seen. She had seen the Japan that had been beaten into submission, the Japan that presented a false face of calmness. Euphemia might have even seen Japan before Britannia had subjugated it, but she hadn’t seen the moments in between and that was where she failed.

She preferred to ignore the war, because it was bloody and messy. He couldn’t blame her for that. There were some people who couldn’t deal with war, Euphemia was one of them. He wished that Nunnally was another one, but she hadn’t gotten the choice.

It was one thing to understand Japan how it was and Japan how it had become. But the parts in between had to be understood too. The parts with the mud, blood and death because that’s when limits were made, that’s when the lines were drawn.

He understood that far more than Euphemia, because it hadn’t been his choice either, but it was the way things had turned out. A few of the Japanese might have been willing to join, but they wouldn’t trust it, they wouldn’t settle. The Britannians wouldn’t work with the system either.

The lines had been drawn long before then and he had tried to figure out his way around them. But nothing had worked, there was nothing but the path of blood and there was some part of him that relished it.

Then again, he had no choice.

He jumped as Nunnally squeezed his hand. Lelouch looked away from the far wall of the stall. His sister had her head tipped towards him, probably listening for any noise that he made. He must have gone quiet because she was frowning.

Lelouch mustered up a smile, not caring that Nunnally wouldn’t see it. She could hear it and that was important. “I’m alright, Nunnally.”

“Good.” She let up her grip on his hand. “You went so quiet for a while that I got worried.”

“No. I was just…thinking.”

“About what Euphy said? Isn’t it wonderful?”

Lelouch opened his mouth to speak, but he changed his mind. There was no way that he would be able to lie to Nunnally, not with the way that he was feeling. He needed more time.

He swallowed at got to his feet. “Let’s get out of here, while Euphy’s got them distracted.”

“Oh. I guess we have to.”

Lelouch didn’t answer, he just got to his feet and reached for Nunnally’s wheelchair. It would be hard to turn her around in the small space, and it would be better if she kept her hands in her lap so they didn’t get stuck between the chair and any of the boxes in the booth.

He started the slow turn, pausing to look back at where Euphemia was standing amid the cheers. He almost hated her for the adulation that she was getting, because it meant that he would have to play the other side. No one would cheer for him, and he hated that, but it was a fact that he was used to by now. He had promised he would walk the path of blood, but only if he had to.

Then again, that wasn’t his choice anymore either.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the [ Daemon AU](http://archiveofourown.org/works/336302/chapters/543803)

Shin turned away as the sword cut into Michele’s neck. That didn’t stop the blood from splattering onto him. His lip twitched in distaste, at the same time as he heard a squawk from Shen.

He looked back down at where his daemon was backing away from the blood that was spreading on the floor. The peacock had to hop into the air to avoid the stumbling attack from his other side as Michele’s daemon tried to defend her human.

Shin drew his sword and turned to look at Rada, watching as the huge Caucasian Ovcharka tried to turn and snap at Shen. It was a move that Shin had seen a hundred times in training and the dog had never been anything but graceful despite her size. Now it barely looked like she was holding barely herself together.

Rada hit the floor with a whimper, her lips peeled back in a snarl. Shin was surprised to see that some of it was directed at him, but Rada went after Shen again anyway. Apparently, the taboo held her back too strongly. But she was too weak to get to Shen, the peacock easily avoiding her and circling around to the chair that Michele had been sitting on.

Rada turned with him, her paws slipping on the blood that was leaking onto the floor. The dog tumbled over, knocking into her human. She struggled to get upright, leaning hard against Michele before she stopped and draped herself over his back.

Shin paced around the edge of the pool of blood, slowing down when Rada lifted her head. It took longer for the daemon to focus on him, the Caucasian Ovcharka trying to growl, but nothing came out. She coughed, bracing one paw against Michele’s body. “Shin, why?”

He stared at her, watching as she slumped. Shin watched as her sides heaved a few more times before she dissolved into golden motes of dust. He tipped his head back to watch her go, his gaze moving from the dust as Shen took the moment to swoop down from the throne chair.

Shen glided through the dust, Rada’s remains gleaming briefly on his white feathers before it disappeared to wherever daemons went when they died. Shin scanned the ceiling for a moment before he caught himself. It was a foolish thing to think, especially when he had just achieved his goal. 

Rada and Michaele were no longer his concern. The Knights of St. Michael were, especially considering the defeat at Narva. If the EU had managed to sneak up on them before, there was a chance that they would try again. Considering that, Michele’s last orders that the Knights of St. Michael were going to withdraw were probably the best ones. They would need the time to regroup and the usual shoving that came with any change in the pecking order.

Shin was sure that most of the knights would support him, but Ashely and Jela would be bound to push. It wouldn’t matter, Shin was sure that Johannes and Raluca would calm them down. If not, then he was confident that Shen could win against Jela if it came down to a fight.

Most people tended to underestimate Shen, considering that he looked more ornamental. After all, everyone associated peacocks with Prince Clovis. He had never been on the news without Atanase’s feathers spread out behind him. It was a glorious sight and planned down to the last feather and it was enough to make the word forget that peacocks had spurs.

Shen preened some of the feathers on his breast, Shin feeling a spark of disgust when he ran across blood on his feathers. He sighed and turned to brush his fingers over the peacock’s head. Shen paused to look at him before fluffing his feathers out. “I didn’t think Rada would do that.”

“It didn’t seem to work on any of the others.”

Shen paused, tipping his head to the side. “True, but none of the others tried. I guess we should have expected as much, considering that Sumi didn’t bother to do something either.”

Shin tensed at the mention of his brother’s daemon, but he pushed hit away. There was no time to consider Akito at the moment, not when he had to regroup. With the Knights of St. Raphael dead, Euro-Britannia would need to represent themselves well. And there was no better knights to hold the line than the Knights of St. Michael. Once they were in place, he could focus on the important things.

He turned on his heel and started walking away. Shin smiled at the soft sound of Shen’s feathers moving over the floor. He glanced back at his daemon, getting a short bob of the peacock’s head in response. Shen took a hop step to catch up with him, the peacock settling on the floor.

Shin dug around in his jacket for his handkerchief, using it to rub the blood off of the side of his face, his fingers shaking in the first true excitement he had felt in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Shin - Shen – Peacock](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/04/1a/af/041aafb374f8c3a362c76f7da8fe18e1--white-feathers-peacock-feathers.jpg)   
>  [Michele - Rada - Caucasian Ovcharka](http://cdn.skim.gs/image/upload/v1461254037/caucasian_ovcharka_coat_jsjgvn.jpg)   
>  [Ashley - Jela - Siberian Tiger](http://animalfactguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/iStock_000005688478XSmall.jpg)   
>  [Johannes - Raluca - African Leopard](http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/43/431AB807-D3C4-4898-BF45-9AA30582693D/Presentation.Large/African-leopard-walking.jpg)   
>  [Clovis - Atanase – Peacock](https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/37/154237-004-6F4A4A7C.jpg)   
>  [Akito - Sumi - Honshu wolf](http://www.allthingscanid.org/Honshuwolftoday.png)


End file.
